Sipping soft drinks and other beverages reduces risk of decay. Americans drink roughly 576 soft drinks every year - about one and a half cans a day for everyone in the United States. Drinking these beverages places the people who may not follow proper oral hygiene techniques at a higher risk for cavities and other oral health problems. However, according to a report in the May/June 2005 issue of General Dentistry, the Academy of General Dentistry’s (AGD) clinical, peer-reviewed journal, drinking soft drinks and other beverages through a properly positioned straw can help to minimize the risk of cavities. The report tracked patient drinking habits and found that different factors - such as the frequency of sipping and the amount of time the beverage remains in the mouth - affect the type, location and severity of tooth decay. For example, decay will be concentrated in the back molars of a person who drinks directly from a can and allows the liquid to pool in the mouth. Or, decay will be found on the teeth in the front of the mouth in a person who drinks through a straw positioned at the front of the mouth, right behind the lips.
