If You’re Drinking Apple Cider Vinegar Like This You Need To Stop

Dull hair? Wash with it! Dodgy skin? Spray it on! Digestion problems? Drink it!

Yep, apple cider vinegar is increasingly seen as a cure all (with minimal studies to back up those claims) but the way you’re consuming it might be doing more harm than good.

Many are fans of just taking a shot straight (it’s not the tastiest drink after all) but overtime this method could do damage to your tooth enamel.

Dr Michael Foley, Vice Chairman of the ADA Oral Health Committee, says, “From a dental point of view apple cider vinegar is highly acidic, and like other highly acidic drinks (soft drinks, sports drinks, commercial fruit juices, beers, wines etc) having these drinks regularly will gradually dissolve the enamel on your teeth.”   

“The enamel becomes weaker and wears and chips away more quickly. As it does, your teeth become shorter, thinner and weaker, and because the enamel is the whitest part of your teeth, your teeth will also appear darker.”

“The other problem is that the bad bacteria in our mouths that cause tooth decay flourish in an acidic environment. If you’re drinking or swishing acidic drinks regularly, you’ll have lots more of the bad bacteria than you should, and your risk of tooth decay will increase.”

Foley says that there’s no “magic way” to consume apple cider vinegar (for the record he recommends sticking to good old fluoridated water, straight from the tap) but theoretically you will do less damage to your teeth if you dilute it with a glass of water and drink it through a straw.

“If you do drink the stuff or swish it around your teeth, DON’T brush your teeth straight away,” he says.  

“Your enamel will be slightly softer because of the acid attack, and you’ll wear a teeny bit of the enamel away. Best to have a glass of water to wash the acidity away, then brush your teeth 30-60 minutes later once all the minerals in your saliva have strengthened your enamel again.”

Source: Read Full Article