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Apple cider vinegar has become a popular health drink in the past few years. A growing number of people believe it should be taken daily, or in some cases before meals. Apple cider vinegar has an extraordinarily perceived diverse range of health benefits. From soothing an upset stomach by counteracting bacteria and relaxing gastrointestinal muscles, to curing hiccups by overstimulating nerves in the throat that cause spasms. Some believe this elixir can cause weight loss, increase energy and even cure dandruff.

Highly acidic

Despite apple cider vinegar’s possible health benefits, it is highly acidic. It contains both malic acid and acetic acid. The average pH of apple cider vinegar is between 2.5 and 3.0. To put this in context, distilled water has a neutral pH of 7.0, while battery acid has an incredibly strong pH of 0.

Given the low pH of apple cider vinegar, it can cause significant damage to your oral health if it is not consumed with caution. Undiluted apple cider vinegar is strong enough to weaken the enamel on your teeth potentially increasing risk of cavities. Some particularly heavy drinkers can experience swelling or burns in the tissues of their oral cavity.

Never as a mouthwash

Although a number of websites encourage visitors to use apple cider vinegar as mouthwash, we cannot emphasize strongly enough how bad of an idea this is.

In order to consume apple cider vinegar safely, you should never drink it directly from a bottle. Dilute any apple cider vinegar into a solution that has at least 5 to 10 parts water to every part of vinegar. It is also possible to take apple cider vinegar in pill form. Provided you wash any pills down with plenty of fluid, this may be the safest way to ingest it.

For any questions about your oral health, please don’t hesitate to give our friendly office staff at Southeast Family Dental a call today on 317-359-8000.