We have all been told time and again to keep away from processed sugar because it's detrimental to our overall health and is even worse for our teeth. From this perspective, it stands to reason that it's better to drink juice than a can of soda. While this might be true, a new dimension of drinking too much juice has been unveiled.
Dental Erosion and Acids
Most juices are made from various fruits, which would seem to make them the safer, more natural choice when you want to quench your thirst. However, some juices are more damaging than their soft drink counterparts. Most juice has a high concentration of citric acid and, as such, can do a lot of harm to the teeth. Highly acidic juices such as lemon or orange are the biggest culprits in this scenario. Their acidic nature eats away at the tooth's enamel. The enamel is what provides protection for your teeth. They also reduce the saliva's ability to repair the teeth on a microscopic level and they steal you're your teeth's calcium ions, which further weakens the tooth's protective shell.
Sugar Quantities
Fruit juice is also high in sugar. Some manufactures find that the natural blend is not sweet enough and instead use sugar or high fructose corn syrup to sweeten the taste of the juice, thereby making it more harmful to your teeth. The bacteria that live in the mouth take that sugar and convert it into acid that bores holes into your teeth called cavities. Unlike with whole fruit where the fiber binds with the sugar making it more manageable, blended juice doesn't have any fiber, which makes it very dangerous to the teeth.
It's not bad to drink your juice. Just ensure that it is not in excess. It's also good practice to drink some water after consuming juice since it will wash down the sugar and acidity, which can harm your teeth.
Dentist Hillsboro, OR | Dental Blog - Century Dental Hillsboro, OR Jefferson Call, DMD and Dix Densley, DDS believe that the better informed their patients are, the better their decisions about dental care can be. With this blog, they hope to inform and empower our readers in their oral health. - See more Century Dental, 2831 SE Cornelius Pass Rd, Hillsboro, OR 97123 / (971) 708-1608 / centurydentalllc.com / 11/27/2024 / Key Phrases: Dentist Hillsboro OR
We have all been told time and again to keep away from processed sugar because it's detrimental to our overall health and is even worse for our teeth. From this perspective, it stands to reason that it's better to drink juice than a can of soda. While this might be true, a new dimension of drinking too much juice has been unveiled.