How Fruit Juice May Harm Your Child’s Teeth

Juice, even if it contains 100% fruit juice, is very high in sugar content and is causing a dental cavity epidemic among America’s children. Frequent consumption of juice beverages, even if you’ve watered down, can still cause dental cavities for your children. Here at Firestone Pediatric Dentistry & Orthodontics, we recommend that kids should only be having 6oz of juice a day, although you may want to consider a juice ban altogether.

How Juice May be Harmful to Teeth

A 6oz Mott’s brand juice box contains 13 grams of sugar. Since the recommended sugar intake for kids is between 20-30 grams of sugar a day, your child has almost hit their limit on one small juice box. Add to this the fact that the bacteria in your child’s mouth feed on this sugar, creating the acid that erodes the enamel on their vulnerable dental enamel and you have a recipe for disaster. The acids will cause cavities and decay, as well as pain for your child and a potentially costly dental bill for you.

Instead of fruit juices, try offering your child more fruits with meals and water or milk to drink. Additionally, make sure that your child is brushing at least twice a day with fluoride toothpaste, flossing daily and visiting our office every six months for a checkup.

To make an appointment for your child to receive a dental cleaning and exam here in Firestone, Colorado, please contact Firestone Pediatric Dentistry & Orthodontics today. Your child’s tooth and gum health are important to us.