When the world’s largest beverage company has more than 100 drinks and brands under its belt, the options for quenching your thirst can be overwhelming. This often means numerous drinks are tempting your children and diverting them from the best option: water.
Most of the attention about children consuming sodas and juices has focused on the increased risk for obesity, but there’s another health problem that parents forget about: dental health.
The Bittersweet side of Fruit Juices
Tens of thousands of toddlers are suffering from rotting teeth, and a major study reveals this is caused by drinking fruit juices and eating squash.
In the United Kingdom, one in every eight three-year-olds has tooth decay. In some parts of the country, the rates are as high as a third.
Dentists say the problem is often with well-meaning parents giving their little ones sugar-packed drinks, be it in bottles or beakers. Some groups are now even urging families to have kids drink only milk and water.
You buy expensive organic juices believing these are healthier, but in reality, these contain as much sugar as a glass of a fizzy drink. Sugar is sugar, be it posh or not.
A regular glass of organic apple juice (200ml), for example, contains 20 grams of sugar, which is nearly five teaspoons. This is just below the same amount of most fizzy drinks—a 200ml glass of which has 22 grams of sugar.
Turning Bitter to Sweet
The problem, however, is not just confined to England. Tooth decay is also a problem in nearby regions. Cosmetic dentistry services in Belfast are popular and gaining more interest because caries are a problem for overall health.
Tooth decay and gum disease are the two most prevalent yet largely preventable dental problems in children. The simple problem of having rotting teeth can have a lifelong effect on a person’s health, self-esteem, and their ability to eat and socialise.
Health officials in the UK urged the public in 2014 to limit their daily sugar intake to between five and seven teaspoons to at least somehow control the rising levels of rotting teeth and obesity.
The recommended plan of action is still practice good oral hygiene, including the occasional reminder to brush your teeth regularly.