Tooth in Coca-Cola

By Thomas Padron-McCarthy (thomas.padron-mccarthy@oru.se)
Latest change: September 1, 2013

If you leave a tooth in a glass of Coca-Cola overnight, will it be dissolved in the morning? According to Snopes, it will not. The experiment reported here shows the same result, and also supports the stronger claim that Coca-Cola has no or very little dissolving effect on teeth.

Before

A baby tooth, fresh from an 8-year old boy:

The tooth, image 1 The tooth, image 2 The tooth, image 3

After one night in Coca-Cola

July 26, 2011, the tooth was put in a glass with approximately 20 centiliters of Coca-Cola. The glass was then sealed in a plastic bag, and left undisturbed overnight. The temperature was around 25 C (77 F).

In the morning, approximately 12 hours later, the tooth had not dissolved. Examination by a non-expert showed no change in the size or shape at all, but it had been discoloured:

The tooth, image 4 The tooth, image 5

After more than a week in Coca-Cola

The tooth was then put back in a fresh glass of Coca-Cola, and left for 11 nights.

There was still no apparent change in size or shape, but the tooth was badly discoloured:

The tooth, image 6 The tooth, image 7

After more than a year in Coca-Cola

Finally, the tooth was put back in another fresh glass of Coca-Cola, and left for more than sixteen months (from October 11, 2011 to February 27, 2013).

The tooth was now completely black, but there was still no apparent change in size or shape. No mushiness or other effects, except the change in colour, could be detected.

The glass where the tooth was left in Coca-Cola for sixteen months The tooth, image 8

Discussion

Based on this experiment, it seems that Coca-Cola does not dissolve teeth, overnight or otherwise, but for cosmetic reasons you might still not want to store your teeth in it.

After the sixteen-month experiment, mold was growing on the surface of the Coca-Cola, and it is possible that the sugar in the drink had been consumed by the mold. Replacing the liquid with fresh Coca-Cola, for example every week, may show different effects on the tooth.

Here is a link to another experiment with a tooth in Coca-Cola, with somewhat different results: http://thecocacolaexperiment.blogspot.com/

Acknowledgements

Thanks to Felix, who provided the tooth.