PSA: Kombucha Is Just As Bad For Your Teeth As Soft Drink

Stop guzzling the stuff, stat. - by Lucy Bode

Unless you’ve somehow managed to avoid the superfood scene (or a supermarket for that matter…) you’d know that kombucha is THE health tonic to try rn. If not, it’s essentially a fermented tea that’s gained a rep as a cure-all for everything from gut issues to high cholesterol.

The catch? It could be rotting your teeth at the same rate as sugary soft drinks.

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Dr Larry Molenda puts it down to the acidity factor. In a recent article – aptly titled, Kombucha And Your Teeth Enamel– he points out that the average pH of water is 7 (neutral), while tea is a 6 (slightly more acidic) and vinegar is 2 (very acidic.) And because kombucha must have a pH level of below 3.5 (in order to prevent the growth of bad bacteria), the protective barrier on our chompers can get damaged if we drink too much.

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But hold the freak out: he doesn’t recommend cutting it out entirely. After all, the health benefits are totally legit. Instead, he suggests the following:

Neutralising the acidity levels in your mouth: “Drink it with some foods lower in acidity or give your mouth a swish with some water after you finish drinking it.”
Finding a brand with lower sugar content: “Kombucha isn’t meant to be savoured and sipped. Its purpose is for health benefits, not flavour.”
Drink it quickly: “Drinking it quickly will reduce the amount of time it takes for you to be able to restore the pH levels in your mouth to a more neutral state.”

Lucy Bode

Lucy is WH’s Digital Editor, Features Writer, social media guru and resident woo. A long black lover and foodie at heart, she considers peanut butter an hourly staple and believes chardonnay is the superior drop. When she's not at the beach, barre or yoga studio you'll find her coming up with new and improved ways to kill her unkillable houseplants