Can you handle the tooth about soda? You're about to find out. 

Americans drink more than 50 gallons of soda per person each year, according to the American Dental Association. That's a lot of soda. The question is -- are these sodas, particularly diet sodas, rotting your teeth? Recent studies definitely point to diet soda's negative effect on dental health, but the research is still preliminary. {relatedarticles}

Diet Sodas & Tooth Decay 

In May 2013, diet soda made a splash in national headlines because of a report the Academy of General Dentistry (AGD) released. The study compared the effects of three subjects' addictions on their dental hygiene. One subject had meth addiction, one had a cocaine addiction and the final subject had an addiction to soda. 

The scientists' findings? All three subjects had the same types and severity of erosion to their teeth. And the decay was drastic. Furthermore, researchers and scientists have shown that it's not necessarily sugar that's the culprit in tooth decay, but rather acidity.