Why Certain Children’s Drinks Might Be Bad for Their Teeth

Fruit drinks and flavored water seem like the perfect drinks for children. After all, not only do they taste great, but they’re also healthy for your little one – or at least, that’s how they’re marketed. In reality, though, these drinks could be doing more harm than you realize, especially to your child’s teeth. Recent studies have shown that many drinks that appear on the surface to be healthy can actually increase the risk of children’s cavities; read on to learn more about this link and how you can protect your little one from decay.

What Do Studies Show?

A study at the UConn Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity found that 62% of the drinks marketed towards children in 2018 contained sugars and/or low-calorie sweeteners. This includes supposedly healthy fruit drinks and flavored water. Needless to say, sugar of any kind can pose a serious threat to your child’s oral health. The bacteria in their mouth could feed on the sugar and turn it into an acid that eats through tooth enamel, leading to cavities.

The marketing for many of the drinks marketed towards children were found to either downplay or not mention the sugar they contained. If you want the real story about the level of sugar in these drinks, you’ll need to read the nutritious facts on the back of the box.

How Prevalent are Cavities in Children?

Childhood cavities are unfortunately far more common than you’d like to think. Despite the fact that tooth decay is completely preventable with proper oral hygiene and diet practices, one in four children will have had at least one cavity by the time they reach their fourth birthday. If you don’t want your little one to become part of that statistic, you need to take the initiative in protecting them from factors that could potentially raise their risk of decay.

What Can You Do to Protect Your Child?

One of the most basic steps you can take is to be more selective about the things you let your children eat and drink. The next time you are looking for child-friendly beverages, check the ingredients and nutrition facts carefully so that you know beyond a shadow of a doubt how much sugar they contain.  That way you can make sure that you’re only selecting tooth-friendly options. Remember that children under the age of five should not be consuming any drinks with added sugars or low-calorie sweeteners at all.

Of course, simply avoiding sugary drinks won’t completely eliminate your child’s chance of developing cavities, but at the very least it will be one less factor to worry about. Take the first step in helping your child develop better dietary habits today!

About the Practice

From high-quality preventive care to reliable, long-lasting restorations, Bethel Dental Care has the solution for all of your family’s oral health needs. Our formula for excellent dental treatment includes the latest state of the art technology, a team of experience doctors, and satisfying customer service. If you’d like to schedule an appointment for your child or have concerns about tooth decay, you can get in touch with us by visiting our website.