We know that sports drinks are highly implicated in erosion of tooth enamel and dentin. There are other ways to lose tooth structure including brushing too hard, especially after drinking a soda or sports drink, grinding your teeth and acid exposure from gastric reflux disease.
How can we help our patients? Many times we see patients that has lost enamel as a result of several of these causes.
If we identify the problem early, we can educate the patient on how to brush, prescribe a soft tooth brush and fluoride toothpaste and possibly advise a mouthguard.
We suggest that a patient not brush right after drinking or eating acidic food and perhaps drink through a straw. Also, using chewing gum and a saliva substitute help if one has dry mouth.