Hacker News new | ask | show | jobs
by Liquix 1140 days ago
Diet coke has a pH of 3.2-3.6. Something that is "basically just water" shouldn't dissolve enamel.
1 comments

There's no evidence it does so meaningfully. All that stuff about "leave a tooth in Coke overnight and it'll dissolve" is 100% urban legend.

We're eating and drinking acidic things all day long, orange juice and grapefruits and the rest. And diet soda doesn't adhere in a layer to your teeth, the way things like orange juice and sugary Coke do.

Our enamel repairs itself through our saliva. Otherwise you'd never be able to drink a lemonade or eat a grapefruit. The acidity of Coke Zero is a nonissue in the context of a normal diet.

(Not to mention that flavored carbonated waters like La Croix and Bubly are also acidic. Bubly grapefruit flavor is pH 3.86, while Coke Zero is 3.18, from a quick Google.)