This Beloved Beverage Has Gone Viral But You Might Want To Think Twice Before Drinking It

The Real Reason You Should Drink Lemon Water! 

Lemon Water: Refreshing, Hydrating, And Health-Ful

Lemon Water Is a Tasty Way to Hydrate Das It

These are just a few of the titles of the thousands of TikTok videos touting the perks of lemon water. The beverage, which is just adding lemon juice to water, has gone viral in recent years due to its supposed health benefits , including boosting hydration, adding vitamin C and being an alternative to sugar-filled options like soda or fruit juice.

But sipping lemon water does come with a potential health hazard, according to Dr. Stephanie Dumanian, owner of Park Lex 60 Dental , who joined us  Raj Punjabi and Noah Michelson, co-hosts of HuffPosts Am I Doing It Wrong?  podcast to chat about the secrets of keeping our teeth healthy.

Listen to the full episode here to find out the secrets to healthier teeth.

Im not going to lie I see a lot of effects on patients enamel [from drinking lemon water], she said. Ill be like, What happened? Do you have acid reflux? Whats changed? And they cant figure it out. And then I ask, Do you drink lemon water in the morning? And theyre like, Every morning! And Im like, Ahhhhhhhh! and I ask, Do you brush your teeth right after, too? And theyre like Yeah! and Im like, This is terrible!

Dumanian explained that we dont want to brush our teeth after weve just exposed them to the significant amounts of acid in lemon water or any other beverage or food.

Youre basically brushing acid into your teeth, she said.

Instead, she suggested we brush our teeth before we drink it or wait 20 to 30 minutes after. Alternatively, we can rinse our mouths with water to wash away any acid and then brush. 

Or you can drink [the lemon water] through a straw, she said. Some of my patients tell me they like to drink it hot, and I tell them, Let it come to room temperature and drink it through a straw.

She noted that using a straw will keep the acidic drink from coming in contact with teeth and that this technique can be useful when drinking coffee, too. 

It helps minimize staining, as well, with coffee. Its not getting exposed to your teeth as much.

Dumanian also revealed why some people get more cavities than others, the unexpected reason we might have bad breath and much more.

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