May 4, 2026 05:13 PM
https://www.popsci.com/health/does-sugar...-cavities/
EXCERPTS: “Sugar rots your teeth!” You’ve likely heard those words, in some shape or form, coming from a parent, grandparent, teacher, or TV show. In school, you might have even conducted a classic experiment: putting an egg into a cup of soda to see how the shell softens and becomes flabby after a few days. That, the lesson implies, is what sugary soda does to your teeth.
However, sugar is not the direct cause of cavities. Nor is it a corrosive substance, like the common classroom experiment implies: In fact, it’s the tangy acid in the soda that softens the shell, not the sugar.
Sugar, however, is a great energy source for the bacteria living in your mouth that can cause tooth decay, says Dr. Diana Nguyen, the chief of General Clinical Dentistry and associate professor at University of California, San Francisco School of Dentistry. But should we really only blame sugar for cavities? Nguyen says the answer is more nuanced than you might think.
[...] So while carbohydrates such as sugar aren’t the active force behind cavities, it can accelerate their development—as can acid from soda or coffee... (MORE - details)
EXCERPTS: “Sugar rots your teeth!” You’ve likely heard those words, in some shape or form, coming from a parent, grandparent, teacher, or TV show. In school, you might have even conducted a classic experiment: putting an egg into a cup of soda to see how the shell softens and becomes flabby after a few days. That, the lesson implies, is what sugary soda does to your teeth.
However, sugar is not the direct cause of cavities. Nor is it a corrosive substance, like the common classroom experiment implies: In fact, it’s the tangy acid in the soda that softens the shell, not the sugar.
Sugar, however, is a great energy source for the bacteria living in your mouth that can cause tooth decay, says Dr. Diana Nguyen, the chief of General Clinical Dentistry and associate professor at University of California, San Francisco School of Dentistry. But should we really only blame sugar for cavities? Nguyen says the answer is more nuanced than you might think.
[...] So while carbohydrates such as sugar aren’t the active force behind cavities, it can accelerate their development—as can acid from soda or coffee... (MORE - details)
