Is fruit juice harming your teeth and your children’s teeth? Fruit juice is thought of as having health benefits due to being high in Vitamin C and antioxidants, as well as lowering the chances of heart disease, cancer, and Alzheimer’s disease. While this may be true, it is also possible that the fruit juice is causing harm to your kids’ teeth.

Fruit Juice is High in Sugar

Fruit juices are high in sugar, which is known to harm your teeth by converting the sugars into acid causing wearing of the enamel and cavities. High amounts of sugar also can cause dental plaque leading to irritation in the gums, which could cause gum disease if gone untreated. Most juices are not 100 percent fruit juice and contain large amounts of added sugars. These juices are called juice cocktails or juice drinks in order to distinguish them from the all-natural juices, which still contain natural amounts of sugar.

Fruit Juice Wears on the Enamel

Tooth enamel is more fragile than you might think. Some juices are more harmful than others. For example, lime and cranberry juices contain more acid than vinegar. This amount of acid can be very harmful to your teeth and break down the enamel on your teeth. Orange juice, while being high in Vitamin C, is known to decrease tooth hardness and roughen the surface of the teeth.

Fruit Juice and Children

Most children drink juice from a bottle or sippy-cup when they are younger. When kids drink juice from a sippy-cup it releases the liquids slowly and gives the juice more time to stay in the mouth. Because the juice has more time to stay in the mouth, there is a higher chance for cavities to form. A remedy for this is to dilute with half water and half juice per bottle and offer no more than 4-6 ounces a day. When using sippy-cups, try to limit the liquid to only water as to limit the possibility for cavities.  

Fruit juices are not detrimental to the health of your teeth in small amounts, but it is important to keep in mind the possible harmful effects the continuous use of fruit juice may have on your teeth. Contact us today if you have any other concerns regarding what could be harming your teeth!