- Stain Guard: Using a straw means you avoid direct and constant contact of beverages & your front teeth. Straw protects your teeth against staining that happens from long term exposure to dark-colour foods and drinks Think about it. When you use a straw, the liquid you are consuming bypasses your teeth!
- Reduced Exposure: Some drinks are often acidic they cause softening of the enamel and make it susceptible to erosion or caries. Straw reduces the exposure, lessens chance of bacteria and sugary substances to stick to your teeth which potentially cause erosion.
- Hygiene: Drinking glasses in restaurant tend to host germs and bacteria simply from exposure to other people or while handling. Using a straw can help you to only consume the beverage you want to, and not those other germs.
- Convenience: Especially when you’re on the go, drinking from a straw is much easier than unscrewing a cap or tilting your head back to gulp from a glass. Anyone who has tipped an ice-filled cup, drenched themselves as they drink know that drinking from a straw reduces this risk and is more convenient than finding a dry shirt.
- Safety: Because drinking from a straw means you are taking in a more controlled amount of liquid, you are actually reducing your risk of choking. Drinking a smaller amount at a time also means you are safer from burning your mouth on too-hot beverages. Also, smaller sips aid in easy digestion.
- Oral Gym: Drinking from a straw is a
very simple yet effective way of improving one’s oral motor skills. It works on lip seal, tongue retraction, cheek strength, correct jaw position, suck-swallow-breathe coordination, consecutive swallows, and more. Sucking can also help some individuals organise, increase their attention, and soothe/calm themselves. - Sharing is Caring: Share your drink. Draw two straws share some love! And to the ladies, the best the best way to enjoy a drink and leave your lipstick intact is to use a straw.
- How to use a straw: To totally protect your teeth is to place the straw directly behind your teeth and your tongue, sipping the drink straight down your throat. However, this method is uncomfortable and defeats the purpose of drinking the beverage.
You can position a straw in a way that will limit the amount of time your teeth are exposed to sugary and acidic beverages. Most people sip through a straw with the tip of straw directly in front of their teeth. This bathes your entire mouth in the potentially harmful beverage.
Instead, place the straw behind your teeth and take quick sips; don’t let the beverage linger in your mouth. Even though your teeth are still exposed, you reduce the number of teeth exposed to the beverage, and you decrease the length of time they’re exposed.
So what do you think? Are you going to make to switch to using a straw, or are you going to live on the edge and throw caution to the wind?