Can Cold Syrup Make Your Teeth Sick?
The symptoms of a cold can make life miserable. Fortunately, a spoonful of cold/cough syrup can help give relief to sufferers. But did you know it could add tooth decay to your list of symptoms?
The better-tasting cold/cough syrups of today come with a variety of ingredients that pose potential risk to your teeth. A glance at the bottle reveals that most syrups contain ingredients like high fructose corn syrup, citric acid and sucrose. These ingredients mix with natural bacteria in the mouth, forming acid that attacks the enamel of your teeth. The process can eventually wear away the enamel, causing tooth decay.
The addition of alcohol in some popular cold/cough syrups also has a drying effect on the mouth. Saliva helps to naturally rinse your teeth of sugars and acids – so with less saliva present, the sugars and acids remain in the mouth even longer.
What’s the remedy? When taking cold/cough syrup, follow the directions for recommended dosage. Try to take the syrup with a meal when more saliva is produced and rinse your mouth well with water afterwards. Rinsing is especially important when taking cold/cough syrup before bed – without rinsing, the harmful liquid coats teeth throughout the night, further promoting tooth decay.
For adults, another simple solution is to choose a pill form of cold medication instead of syrup.
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