A Dentist Warns Against Lemon Water
“Lemon Water: Refreshing, Hydrating, And Health-Ful”
This is just one title 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 HuffPost’s “Am I Doing It Wrong?” podcast — to chat about the secrets of keeping our teeth healthy.
“I’m not going to lie — I see a lot of effects on patient’s enamel [from drinking lemon water],” she said. “I’ll be like, ‘What happened? Do you have acid reflux? What’s changed?’ And they can’t figure it out. And then I ask, ‘Do you drink lemon water in the morning?’ And they’re like, ‘Every morning!’ And I’m like, ‘Ahhhhhhhh!’ and I ask, ‘Do you brush your teeth right after, too?’ And they’re like ‘Yeah!’ and I’m like, ‘This is terrible!’”
Dumanian explained that we don’t want to brush our teeth after we’ve just exposed them to the significant amounts of acid in lemon water — or any other beverage or food.
“You’re 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.’”