Diet Coke guzzler showed similar tooth decay to crack, meth users, says report

By now we all know that Diet Coke is bad for us thanks to the War and Peace-length list of chemicals it contains -- and yet people continue to consume it in record numbers.

But if the health of your internal organs isn’t enough to get you to put down the can, how about the state of your teeth?

An enamel-chilling report published in the journal General Dentistry found that a woman in her 30s who drank two litres of the aspartame-laden liquid each day over a three-to-five year period ended up with a set of teeth at a similar stage of decay to that of a 29-year-old meth addict and a 51-year-old longtime crack user.

In all three cases, none of the teeth could not be saved and had to be extracted in what we can only imagine resembled a scene that made the dentist bit in Marathon Man seem like a romp through the park with a litter of adorable puppies.

Also see: Smile saboteurs that are ruining your teeth

Naturally, the discovery has led some to christen the phenomenon with a clever new name: Coke mouth.

Despite the cute catchphrase, however, the findings have experts concerned.

“You look at it side-to-side with 'meth mouth' or 'coke mouth,' it is startling to see the intensity and extent of damage more or less the same,” study author Dr. Mohamed Bassiouny tells HealthDay.

While the woman in the case study was an extreme example, and admitted she hadn’t received any dental care in two decades, dentists want people to be aware that the acid levels caused by citric and phosphoric acid in both regular and diet soda can erode teeth over time and should be consumed sparingly – if at all.

Unsurprisingly to anyone who has seen the film Thank You For Smoking, the American Beverage Association has come out swinging in response to the report.

Also see: Can Coca Cola treat stomach ailments?

“The woman referenced in this article did not receive dental health services for more than 20 years — two-thirds of her life,” the organization says in a statement (via New York Daily News. “To single out diet soda consumption as the unique factor in her tooth decay and erosion — and to compare it to that from illicit drug use — is irresponsible.”

The organization is right in that you’d have to drink an awful lot of soda to get to the state of decay exhibited by Coke Mouth Patient Zero.

But if you're still determined to sling back a few cold Diet Cokes on a hot day, at the very least try to take some steps to prevent tooth decay. Drink your beverage through a straw and pop in a piece of gum afterwards to increase saliva and raise the pH in your mouth. And of course, make sure to brush your teeth -- but not for at least 30 minutes, as brushing too soon can cause further damage.