Sipping on sports drinks can provide an energy boost, but it can also expose your teeth to high levels of acid that erode teeth and cause oversensitivity, researchers from New York University said.

"This is the first time that the citric acid in sports drinks has been linked to erosive tooth wear," said Dr. Mark Wolff who led a study on the situation.

In his study, researchers found that sports drinks may be linked to erosive tooth wear, which generally affects one in 15 Americans.

The work focused on cow's teeth that were cut in half. A news release on the work said cow's teeth closely resemble human teeth.

They immersed one half in a sports drink and the half in water for 75 to 90 minutes. The one exposed to the sports drink displayed a significant amount of erosion and softening.

Wolff said that brushing teeth immediately after consuming a sports drink can compound the problem of tooth erosion, because softened enamel is very susceptible to the abrasive properties of toothpaste.

He suggested waiting 30 minutes after a drink to brush teeth.

The findings were presented at the annual meeting of the International Association for Dental Research.