Why is soda bad for teeth? We will test what happens when we drink soda using eggshells as the stand-in for teeth.
Supplies needed:
- Black permanent marker
- 3 clear cups/glasses
- Dark coloured soda
- Fruit juice
- Water
- 3 white eggs, raw or hardboiled
- Toothbrush
- Toothpaste
The Experiment:
With the marker, label one cup “soda”, another “juice and another “water”. Fill each cup with the liquid you labelled it with. Place one egg in each cup and let them sit overnight. In the morning, pour the liquids out, leaving the eggs in the marked cups so you can tell which egg soaked in which liquid. Examine eggs to see how they have changed.
The outcome:
The egg in the soda, like your teeth, will become stained a dark colour, and you might be able to see areas where the shell enamel is eroded and other areas where there are little pits in the eggshell.
Why it worked:
The enamel on your tooth protects the soft inside – or dentin. When that is compromised or damaged, you will get a cavity (like the pits on the eggshell) and your mouth will begin to hurt.
Variation:
With a plain, dry toothbrush, try to brush the stains off of the eggs. Did they come off? Now wet the brush and try again with toothpaste. See how important it is to brush your teeth?!
Source: The 101 Coolest Simple Science Experiments by Rachel Miller, Holly Homer & Jamie Harrington.