How Hot Drinks Affect Teeth: Coffee, Tea, and Hot Chocolate

For many, a hot cup of coffee, tea, or cocoa is the perfect way to start or end the day. Understanding how hot drinks affect teeth is essential, as these beverages can impact not only your oral health but also your sleep quality and overall well-being. Knowing how acidity, caffeine, and added ingredients influence your body helps you enjoy your favorites without long-term damage.

Coffee Roasts

In general, medium roast coffees are less acidic than their light and dark roast counterparts, which makes them healthier choices for your teeth.  The acidity strips the enamel from your teeth, and this enamel is the main protection from cavities and other unwanted stimuli (e.g. sensitivity from thermal events, acidic events, sweets).  Additionally, this acidity is hard on the stomach, especially if it is empty, and can cause headaches, allergy-like reactions, and more. Considering how hot drinks affect teeth, choosing a lower acid roast can help preserve enamel strength over time.

Coffee Bean Species

Among the four most commercialized coffee beans:

• Arabica (Coffea arabica) – Highest acidity with a smooth flavor.
• Robusta (Coffea caniphora) – Lower acidity with nearly twice the caffeine of Arabica.
• Excelsa (Coffea excelsa) – Mild acidity and similar caffeine levels to Arabica.
• Liberica (Coffea liberica) – Unique flavor and moderate caffeine.

Tip: Look for “low acid” or “pH balanced” on the label.

Caffeine and Sleep

The species of the bean as well as its altitude are the more significant factors that contribute to the caffeine content in the bean.  Roast level has some contribution, but its contribution is a more minimal factor, but light roasts generally have more caffeine than their dark roast counterparts, because dark roasts lose moisture during roasting, so they are less dense (so a scoop of dark roast beans has less caffeine than a scoop of light roast beans).

Per 8 oz serving:

• Arabica and Excelsa: 80–100 mg
• Liberica: 90–120 mg
• Robusta: 140–200 mg

Caffeine has an average half-life of 4-6 hours, which means after 8-12 hours, 25% of the caffeine that was ingested is still the body (not metabolized). Decaffeinated coffee still has caffeine in it, generally about a third of the amount, so 3 cups of decaffeinated coffee equals 1 cup of caffeinate coffee. So drinking coffee later in the day, especially if your body is susceptible to the effects of caffeine, is likely to keep you up at night and compromise the quantity and quality of your sleep, causing you to crave caffeine the next morning. Over time, if this cycle is repeated, this can have a variety of systemic and dental health consequences. Caffeine (a diuretic) can lead to dry mouth and increase your cavity risk. Poor sleep increases inflammation and can worsen periodontal (gum) disease. Adults should average 7-9 hours of sleep per night.

Generalized Comparison of Caffeine Content from Non-Coffee Items (8 oz serving)

Black tea: 40–70 mg

Green tea: 20–45 mg

Cola: 24–25 mg

Red Bull: 80 mg

Hot chocolate: 5–15 mg caffeine plus 100–250 mg theobromine

Creamers, Milk, and Sweeteners

Creamers, milk, and coffee/tea sweeteners all contain sugars. These sugars are either natural (e.g. lactose) or added (e.g. sucrose). These sugars cause cavities. Each time a sip of coffee or tea is taken with these flavor enhancers added, specific bacteria in your mouth use these sugars in the coffee to cause cavities.

The more sips taken, the more damage potentially occurs. Less damage occurs when the coffee or tea is drank all in one step, but the enjoyment of drinking the beverage is often reduced.

The best way to prevent cavities from occurring from using these additives in coffee or tea is to
choose choosing sugar-free alternatives of these flavor enhancers.

Hot Chocolate and Dental Health

Hot chocolate can affect your sleep depending on how much you drink, how sensitive you are to stimulants, and what type of cocoa is used.

An average 8 oz cup contains 5-15 mg of caffeine, which can disrupt sleep in sensitive individuals, especially if consumed within 4-6 hours of bedtime.

Hot chocolate generally contains 100-250 mg of theobromine, which is a milder stimulant than caffeine, but has effects that last longer than caffeine, with an average half-life of about 6-10 hours, and can contribute to increased heart rate, wakefulness, and difficulty falling or staying asleep. Theobromine gives us the “feel-good” effects of chocolate, but is toxic to dogs and cats even in small amounts.

The average amount of theobromine in an 8 oz serving of hot chocolate depends on the recipe and type of cocoa used. Natural (non-Dutch cocoa powder) has up to 250 mg of theobromine per 8 oz serving, Dutch-processed cocoa has 100-150 mg, Milk chocolate-based mix has 60-120 mg, and dark chocolate based mix has 200-250 mg.

Many hot chocolate mixes are high in sugar, which can cause a brief spike in energy, followed by a crash, and can potentially disrupt sleep or cause middle-of-the-night wake-ups. Sugar also causes cavities, so it is important to brush and floss after finishing the drink

Hot chocolate can be used to improve your sleep. Choose low-caffeine, low-theobromine, unsweetened cocoa made with warm milk. Use almond or oat milk with calming herbs (e.g. cinnamon, nutmeg), avoid sweeteners, and include magnesium rich cocoa (the magnesium helps relax muscles to improve the quality of sleep). Avoid its use within 6 hours of bedtime, especially dark or rich cocoa types.

The chocolate mix and/or milk will likely contain sugars, unless they are both sugar-free, so immediately after drinking, rinse your mouth with water to help neutralize acids and wash away sugars, chew sugar free gum (preferably with xylitol) to stimulate salivary flow to help neutralize remaining acids and protect enamel, and brush/floss your teeth after waiting at least 30-60 minutes after finishing your drink so the enamel has time to remineralize (strengthen) and is not removed through abrasion from brushing and flossing.

Summary

By understanding how hot drinks affect teeth and making small adjustments to your daily habits, you can continue enjoying your favorite beverages without compromising your oral health. Choosing low-acid options, limiting added sugars, and timing your caffeine intake wisely can help protect both your teeth and your sleep. If you’re concerned about staining, you can read our FAQ on what to do about stained or discolored teeth for practical solutions.