Driving Cavity

Are artificial sweeteners just as bad for your TEETH as regular sugar?

I don't want to debate whether or not artificial sweeteners are bad for us as a whole... I was just curious if artificial sweeteners are just as bad for your TEETH as regular sugar.

I started thinking about this because I know some parents that let their kids have diet soda (like 7-up) because it doesn't have the sugar in it that's bad for their teeth.

So it got me thinking... Do artificial sweeteners cause cavities or is it just regular sugar? If I'm correct in my limited knowledge about cavities..., cavities are caused when bacteria on the teeth and in the mouth feed on the sugars left in the mouth and that feeding/breaking down of the sugars creates acid that eats away the enamel on the tooth, causing a cavity...

So... does the bacteria feed on artificial sweeteners just the same? Or does the bacteria know the difference?

I've been thinking about this too much lately and I'm driving myself nuts... Thought I'd better leave it to the experts here! Thanks!

Artificial sweeteners can't be broken down by the bacteria in the mouth, so the short answer is no. But, dental professionals get very emotional when it comes to diet soda because it is very acidic and will demineralize a tooth without ever having to destroy it with decay. Erosion can be just as damaging to teeth as decay. If you sip on diet drinks, its like getting a new one with every sip. So the nutrasweet won't get your teeth, but the acid will. Having said that, I'm a diet coke addict and all the other dentists constantly give me a hard time about it. So I can sympathize if you aren't ready to put down the Diet Coke.

Dentist Tooth Filling Rant