Is Juice Bad For My Child's Teeth?
Kids Dentist, Dr. Ari Hobfoll
Is Juice Really bad for my child's teeth?
Kids enjoy juice because it tastes fantastic, and parents love that their children drink juice since it is beneficial for them! After all, fruits are high in vitamins and nutrients that your youngster requires to be healthy. While this is true, allowing your child to drink too much juice may cause more harm than benefit. Today on the blog, our kids dentist in Murray Utah answers the question, “Is juice really bad for my child’s teeth?”
Isn’t Fruit Juice Good for You?
The fact that juice is derived from fruit does not imply that it is nutritious. In reality, this delightful beverage may have a lot less nutritional value than you think! Mixed juice blends, juice cocktails, juice drinks, and fruit punch typically include only trace amounts of juice. Instead, our pediatric dentist in Salt Lake City explains that these beverages are loaded with sugar, artificial sweeteners, and high-fructose corn syrup.
Even beverages made entirely of fruit juice may contain far more sugar than you believe. This is because the majority of popular fruits are high in natural sugars. As a result, our kids dentist near me explains that a glass of apple, grape, or cranberry juice contains the same amount of sugar as a glass of soda!
3 Consequences of Drinking Juice
Did you know that the most frequent chronic childhood ailment is cavities? While various variables contribute to children having a higher risk of tooth decay than adults, many dentists think that juice drinking plays a significant influence. Our friend Dr. Helgerson, dentist in Grand Junction Co, shares that three characteristics make juice such a complex drink for growing teeth:
Sugar Content: As you might expect, the more sugar your child consumes through juice, the more likely they are to develop cavities.
Nature of Acidity: Citrus fruits, in particular, are highly acidic. These acids swiftly and readily dissolve tooth enamel, leaving it fragile, sensitive, and susceptible to decay.
Method of Serving: The more juice your child drinks during the day, the more sugars accumulate around their teeth and gums, encouraging tooth decay and gum disease.
What to Drink in Its Place
While the amount of sugar in beverages targeted to children, such as juice, may appear overwhelming at first, there is no need to panic! Dr. Hobfoll, the best pediatric dentist in SLC, explains that there are still plenty of tasty drinks your child will like, as well as several techniques to make drinking juice safer for their teeth, such as:
Make sure children under the age of six drink no more than 6 ounces of juice per day, and children over the age of six glass no more than 12 ounces per day (as recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics).
- To minimize the impact of the juice, dilute it with water.
- Make your fruit smoothies at home using honey instead of sugar.
- Drink more milk, particularly low-sugar varieties such as almond, soy, rice, 2 percent, or nonfat dairy.
- Drink more tap water, which is both healthy and often contains the vital mineral fluoride, which can help your child’s teeth stay strong!
