What are learners of English taught to call Coke, Sprite, etc.?

There's a lot of sugar in soft drinks, but sugar does not cause teeth to rot, nor does acid. Teeth rot when they are exposed to the erosive waste products of bacterial growth over long periods. The ingredients of soft drinks and other foods themselves do not linger long enough in the mouth to have any effect on the teeth directly.

Coke contains phosphoric acid because it doesn't have a clearly identifiable taste. Other soft drinks use different acids (if any); citric acid tastes "fruity."