Drinks Your Child's Dentist Doesn't Want You To Send To School

Posted on: 18 August 2016

With technology and all of the research involved in child obesity and tooth loss, very few drinks are supported by dentists. Water seems to be the healthiest choice and will surely help keep your active youngster hydrated during school hours. Some items which seem to be good sources of vitamins and essential minerals can linger on the teeth and cause damage. Here are a few of those products you should avoid when packing your child's lunch.

Carbonated Sugary Soda

Parents begin feeding sugary drinks to children as young as one or two years old. Children exposed to soda consumption are twice as likely to be at risk for dental caries/tooth decay. For a 12-ounce can of regular soda cola, you consume approximately 9 ½ teaspoons of additional sugars. A 20-ounce container would be 16 teaspoons of sugar.

Chocolate Milk

Doctors take opposite sides of the fence about chocolate milk. Milk has been deemed as good for healthy bones, but that isn't always the case. Two forms of milk are in existence. Raw milk is milk in its natural state, as it comes from healthy, organically fed cows. Once the milk is pasteurized and homogenized, it becomes an acidic food. Acidic food sticks to children's teeth. Once you add chocolate to the mix, you have the field for cavity growth.

Fruit Juice

Approximately 25% of toddlers acquire the taste for fruit juice. By the time school starts, it is a craving for the drink as a snack and in between meals. These times are the worst times because of the acidic content in the juice.

Sparkling Water

You ask how can water with no sugar cause issues with cavities. The zip the child will be receiving from the carbonated water is a chemical reaction turning the CO2 into carbonic acid. The fizz is what gives the water drink such a refreshing bite. Even though it is less acidic than other choices, you should consider a regular bottle of water.

Sports Drinks

Many believe sports drinks are a healthy substitute to help the child if he/she performs vigorous physical activity during school time. The top ingredient in sports drinks is sugar, which will stay on the child's teeth and can add to tooth decay.

Cavities can lead to infection, pain, and tooth loss. Many of these drinks which normally are good for your health might not be very good for your teeth. Drinking plain water is your child's best defense. A mouth full of healthy teeth is a grand reward. For more information, contact local professionals like Herbert A Asch.

Share

Dentistry for Kids

Anyone who provides a service specifically for the youngest among us knows that treating kids must be approached very differently from treating adults. Children are not like adult patients. They require a dental team that makes children feel safe and secure at every appointment. The pediatric dental staff also needs to understand how to work with parents as well as young patients. As a pediatric dental hygienist and a mom, I understand that specific needs of children when they are visiting the dentist. This blog will explain exactly what kids need from a dental staff and will give options for making the dental office a welcoming environment to children. We can give a whole new generation healthy smiles by making pediatric dentistry the best it can be.