Did you know that despite your best efforts as a parent with that brush, there is a chance your little angel may develop tooth decay from what she or he drinks!
Did you know that 80% of children develop tooth decay because of what they eat and drink in preschool age!
Let’s dash out the worst 3 tooth enemies a child can drink:
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Fruit Juices:
On the top of our list, is any fruit juice!
Whether freshly home squeezed or is in a bottle or is a nectar! They are all super bad for your teeth. Just check the sugar content on the pack if you don’t believe me.
Damage happens through drinking the juice and not eating the fruit because your child consumes 3-4 folds the amount of sugar in the fruit not to mention without the beneficial fiber that helps the digestion and the feeling of fullness.
Fruit smoothies are also to be tightly monitored they may pose a problem if their sugar content goes out of hand!
I have seen so many careful amazing parents visiting in my Pediatric Dentistry Clinic in Dubai health care city fall for the fresh juice trap or for fruit smoothies and their children developed such high levels of tooth decay!
Some claims of these so called fruit juices to add 100% vitamin C to their child’s diet is what attracts parents attention.
For real if a child eats five servings of fruits and vegetables a day his/or her entire dose of vitamin C covered in a day!
Watch this video:
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Flavored milk:
Don’t get me started on the milk!
Again! my advice is to check the sugar or carbohydrate content on the pack of flavored milk. If you wanted to read more about the WHO’s recommendation for daily sugar read this blog.
In a recent analysis of most popular flavored dairy milks it was revealed that some products may contain:
Sugar as a can of soda.
some may even contain a whole day’s worth of added sugar in one single pack of milk!
If you wanted to read more about the WHO’s recommendation for daily sugar;
Read This Blog: Food For Your Teeth: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly!
and watch this video:
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Soda and Sport Drinks:
Last but not least stay away from the soda and those proclaimed sport drinks as well! Imagine drinking 10 (or more) tablespoons of sugar in water! Can you do that? Our children are just doing that when they drink soda! It doesn’t stop there, soda is very acidic and can erode a tooth enamel in only 20 mins of constant exposure! To add to that, we definitely do not want to expose them to the caffeine in some brands. Of course, the “diet” type is full of toxic sugar alternatives that are worse for the child’s health. For Sport drinks, I would only advice of them for children actually doing a lot of sports and sweating a lot. Again, moderation is key, because they may tend to have a sizeable amount of sugar. Increased consumption definitely adds to the unwanted decay risk.
Watch this video about the topic:
Why should we care really you ask?
- Not only because of the high risk of tooth decay in these young children. More importantly their entire health is at jeopardy. Research has linked obesity, diabetes, adult cardiovascular disease, attention deficit disorders etc among many more chronic diseases that come about as a result of added refined sugar. The unfortunate news is that sweetened drinks have been linked massively with childhood obesity along with childhood decay! As little as one or two a day can lead to this massive problem.
- Not to mention most of these drinks have zero nutrients and are just high in calories and sugar.
- Plus, when children drink their calories it definitely interferes with their normal feeding and healthy eating choices. Some tend to develop poor feeding habits for the future.
Recommendations:
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- Drink Water: The best hydrating liquid on the planet! Perhaps a cute colorful bottle will appease your little one to drink more often? Just saying! Or how about a dash of mint leaves, cucumber or strawberry to add a splash of coolness to your child’s water!
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- Stay away from these delicious sins especially at night before bedtime. Since most of these sugars stick around on the tongue and may lead to a bacterial attack when the child is fast asleep.
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- Don’t put anything yummy in a child’s bottle, deliver it in a sippy cup instead. If there is no way out and you would like to give that flavored milk, then its best in a glass.
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- Brush your child’s teeth 30 mins after that yummy juice!
- Perhaps if your child is hooked on any of these habits, it is best to see your best pediatric dentist for tips and tricks to get off the sugar addicition and safe guard these beautiful pearly whites.
Read this Blog: Healthy teeth: New Year’s resolution for your child’s teeth!
