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Drinking from a straw is natural. If we go to a place to eat or buy a drink outside, we often need a straw as a tool for sipping drinks. When you drink a hot drink, a straw can help the hot water slowly enter your mouth. Drinking through a straw is also more practical than drinking it directly, but it also reduces the risk of choking. However, is using a straw really better?
The advantages of drinking through a straw
There are still pros and cons to the advantages and disadvantages of drinking through a straw. Some say drinking through a straw can help avoid the amount of sugar you are drinking, which will help reduce the effect of the liquid and acidic drink getting into your mouth so that your teeth remain white.
According to Dr. Euan Swan, dental program manager at the Canadian Dental Association, was quoted by Best Health Magazine as saying, "Drinking with a straw will minimize the contact of sugar with your teeth."
According to a report in a journal from General Dentistry, the Academy of General Dentistry's (AGD), drinking through a straw can also reduce cavities. The report was prepared by monitoring participants' drinking habits and found that several factors, such as the frequency of sipping and the length of time the drink was in the mouth, influenced the type, location and severity of tooth decay.
Cavities usually occur on the back of the teeth, and drinking directly from a glass or bottle can affect the amount of fluid that is spread in the mouth. However, cavities are also found on the front just behind the lips, if the person drinks through a straw.
A different opinion was expressed by dr. Mark Burhenne quoted by Ask the Dentist, who said that drinking with a straw still makes no difference. You can still feel fluids, so the effects of sugar and acids can still damage your teeth. If you touch the straw between your lips in front of your teeth, the food can still damage your teeth. Likewise, touching a straw between your teeth, the back of the tooth can still be damaged. What you need to remember is that the tongue is always in contact with the teeth, so if your drink can touch your tongue, of course your teeth will also be affected.
According to Mohamed A. Bassiouny, DMD, Msc, PhD, lead author of this report, "Your best bet is to position the straw behind your mouth when you sip a drink, thereby reducing the amount of fluid that makes contact with your teeth."
The disadvantage of drinking with a straw
Drinking with a straw is known to cause wrinkles around the mouth. Wrinkles can occur because you will pucker your lips when you drink from a straw. Indeed, wrinkles will not occur overnight. However, the habit of drinking using a straw will gradually form folds around the mouth, so that if done repeatedly it can cause the skin to stretch.
Another impact that occurs when drinking from a straw is a problem with your digestion, it can be in the form of excess gas or flatulence. Why is that? The reason is that when you drink through a water straw, you are more likely to swallow more air with each sip than if you drink directly. This air will collect in the intestines and can cause flatulence and gas discomfort.
