Ascorbic Acid Powder and Tooth Enamel

I've been taking 2-5 grams of vitamin C daily in the form of ascorbic acid powder mixed in water. I've read that ascorbic acid can damage tooth enamel. Is this a valid concern?

I would like to continue high dose Vitamin C because I feel it is beneficial for heavy metal clearance but am concerned about long term effects to the enamel.

I don't think that in the few seconds it takes to swallow it would do any significant damage, but I don't know.

Just rinsing with water after your "C" drink would be fine.

I have crappy enamel and C powders do bother my teeth. First thing I noticed was increased temperature sensitivity, so if you notice that then be careful.

In a large amount of liquid and rinsed afterwards seem fine for most. Could always use a straw too. I take capsules personally.

Some powders sold as mineral "ascorbate" are just ascorbic acid mixed with oxide or whatever, so need eough time to react. I had problems with these too somehow.

What about adding sodium bicarbonate to buffer the ph? This would form sodium ascorbate. Does this form still provide all the benefits of ascorbic acid?


From http://www.hhhummingbirds.com/ascorbic-acid-2:

The Vitamin C Foundation explains that not all forms of vitamin C are created equal. The form of vitamin C taken by the late Nobelist Linus Pauling was ascorbic acid. Pauling took his ascorbic acid in water and he added some bicarbonate (baking) soda to make a buffered, more alkaline and effervescent pleasant tasting drink. (It is recommended that you wait for the drink to stop fizzing before you drink it.)



Robert Cathcart MD explains that mineral ascorbates may not be as effective,



I noticed that it was not entirely clear that the dramatic effects are always with ascorbic acid orally and sodium ascorbate intravenously. I have not been able to achieve the ascorbate effect with mineral ascorbates orally. Mineral ascorbates are fine forms of vitamin C but when you are really sick, the mitochondria are failing in their refueling of the free radical scavengers with electrons. The ascorbic acid carries 2 extra electrons per molecule where the mineral ascorbates seem to carry only one (plus per molecule the mineral ascorbates are heavier due to the mineral weighing more than the hydrogen the mineral replaces). So the mineral ascorbates are not potent enough to accomplish the ascorbate effect. There may be other reasons that we do not appreciate additionally.



Ascorbic acid (hydrogen ascorbate) is the form of vitamin C made in the livers (or kidneys) of most animals. This form is highly reactive and biologically active. While the vast majority of vitamin C experts recommend that only pure ascorbic acid be taken orally and warn that buffered forms are not as effective, a small number of experts do not make this same distinction and do recommend the buffered varieties. According to vitamin C expert Robert Cathcart MD, however, twice as much of any other form of the vitamin than ascorbic acid is required to achieve therapeutic results when taken by mouth.



Taking pure ascorbic acid can upset the stomach of some patients, however. Ascorbic acid tablets or capsules may be a better choice where the taste of ascorbic acid in water is intolerable but there are no problems once it reaches the stomach. These forms also protect tooth enamel.



For those that cannot tolerate plain ascorbic acid, adding bicarb soda is probably the easiest way to buffer the solution. The Vitamin C Foundation explains that the total mass of sodium bicarbonate in the blood of an adult human is typically around 10 g. Any excess sodium bicarbonate is excreted by the kidneys. Dissolving ascorbic acid and sodium bicarbonate in water yields a solution of sodium ascorbate and carbonic acid, which releases carbon dioxide into the water. (So you have sodium ascorbate in seltzer water.) Sodium ascorbate has been administered intravenously in doses up to 50 g, without adverse affects. When bicarb soda is taken with ascorbic acid in the correct ratio, this mixture does not upset the pH of the blood. This is why it is important not to take more bicarb soda than is needed to neutralise the ascorbic acid. For every 1 teaspoon of ascorbic acid, roughly ½ a teaspoon of bicarb soda should be added. That is a 2:1 ratio, by mass. Sodium ascorbate is well tolerated because the sodium ion is plentiful in the bloodstream, more so than magnesium or calcium ions, for example.

Should be fine. I've seen lots of people have used sodium ascorbate to help with the oxidative stress from chelation. Some also use bicarb soda also to keep urine alkaline to prevent things like cadmium getting dropped in the kidneys; ascorbic acid might have the opposite effect in that regard.

Try making some DIY liposomes with an ultrasonic cleaner. The sodium ascorbate is capsulized and ends up being deposited in the small intestine. Or if you have a blender, mix the lecithin/SA and it should have a similar effect. Either method allows me to tolerate 10+ grams of vit C in a day.