I’ve heard it time and time again: soft drinks are bad for me. My mom has given me every possible reason to stay away from the tongue-tingling tonic, from the “going from a sugar high—to a sugar low” case, to the “developing diabetes” argument, and even the “you do want to keep your figure, right sweetie?” talk. Still, I couldn’t imagine a day without my beloved can of Wild Cherry Pepsi. Then she told me that pop can deal a huge blow to my pearly whites.

That last reason made me reconsider my daily dose. And she was right. We Americans gulp down an average of 600 cans of soda apiece each year, not knowing one of our favorite drinks is slowly eating away at our teeth.

Coke and Pepsi fans may be in for some major dental destruction, as are aficionados of Dr. Pepper, Sprite, Canada Dry, Arizona Iced Tea, and other cola drinks. Mountain Dew addicts have it worse—non-colas wreak five times more havoc than regular colas.

Think you’re playing it safe with diet sodas? That’s what I thought too.

But diet sodas also contain enamel robbing ingredients, although in less quantities than their higher-calorie counterparts.

What could possibly be causing all this molar mayhem? A report published in the March/April issue of General Dentistry shed some light on the case of the acidic culprits. The report states citric, malic, and tartaric acids are to blame for enamel erosion.

But there is one soft drink that doesn’t tarnish teeth. Root beer products are safer than their pop alternatives because they are non-carbonated, have the fewest flavor additives, and don’t contain harsh acids that other soft drinks are known to have.

So the next time I reach for a cola, I’ll be grabbing an A&W instead.