Is Hard Seltzer Bad for Your Teeth?

At Iqaluit Dental Clinic, we know that the popularity of hard seltzers is on the rise. It isn’t beer or fruit juice, but somewhere in the middle. However, with any new beverage, there’s always doubt about oral health. Is hard seltzer bad for your teeth? Let’s find out.

1. Hard seltzer — Hard seltzers are usually made from cane sugar and have an alcohol content of 4 to 6 percent by volume. Usually, the cane sugar is added to carbonated water and allowed to ferment to create the alcohol. After that, natural or artificial flavours are added to the drink. Hard seltzers are advertised as a low-sugar and low-calorie alternative to beer, wine, mixed drinks and other such alcoholic beverages. While the drink is low in sugar, it isn’t good for your teeth.

2. Alcohol — Hard seltzer is an alcoholic beverage and like any other alcoholic beverage, it depends on how many and how often you consume. The brand also makes a big difference. The alcohol in hard seltzers makes your mouth dry and creates an ideal environment for bacteria to grow in your oral cavity. It’s not going to be a problem if you have a drink or two. However, if you consume hard seltzer for extended periods of time and the moth continues to remain dry, it can also cause mouth sores and expose you to gum disease apart from increasing the plaque on your teeth.

3. Acid — Top-selling hard seltzers usually have a pH of around 3.25. That makes these drinks highly acidic and places them along with the acidity of beverages like Sprite or Mountain Dew. Your teeth have a strong outer layer made of enamel. This layer is worn down by acidic drinks and food. In the long term, it can lead to tooth erosion. Unfortunately, the enamel isn’t a living cell and can’t be regenerated.

When you lose it, it’s gone for good. When you lose a significant portion of the enamel layer, you may experience tooth sensitivity and have trouble drinking or eating hot and cold beverages and food. The risk of cavities, tooth pain and discolouration of the teeth also increases. The carbon dioxide from the carbonation of hard seltzers creates carbonic acid in the mix and that makes it as acidic as other carbonated beverages. That’s why they should be consumed in moderation.

4. Sugar — Hard seltzers have a low sugar content, just around 2 grams in every 340ml can. However, even that amount of sugar plays a significant role in your oral health. Sugar feeds the bacteria in your mouth and helps them grow. That can lead to cavities, enamel erosion and more such problems. Having two cans of hard seltzer is equivalent to one sugar cube in your mouth.

At Iqaluit Dental Clinic, we suggest that you drink hard seltzers or any alcoholic beverage in moderation. It has a lot of acidic content, sugars and alcohol, a fantastic combination to destroy your teeth if consumed regularly. Try to drink it with a straw and make sure to rinse your mouth properly after having a hard seltzer to neutralize the sugars and acid in your mouth.

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