The Worst Drinks for Your Kid’s Teeth
Just because something tastes good or claims to be healthy doesn’t mean it won’t have adverse effects on your child’s pearly whites. Here is a helpful list of the worst drinks for your kid’s teeth so you can keep their smile healthy and bright!
1. Soft Drinks
Soda adds loads of sugar to your child’s diet; in fact most soft drinks contain as much sugar as a king-sized candy bar! This high sugar content is not good for both body and teeth as sugar feeds the bacteria which causes tooth decay.
2. Diet or Artificially Sweetened Drinks
Even though they aren’t as sugar-loaded as their counterparts, these drinks are full of tooth-damaging acids such as phosphoric and citric which can erode tooth enamel.
3. Gatorade/ Sugary Sports Drinks
Our mouths are designed to function best within a specific range of acidity levels. More acidic food and drinks (lower pH level) can give cavity-causing bacteria a place to grow. These bacteria feed on the high sugar content in sports drinks such as Gatorade and Powerade.
4. Juices
Most kid-friendly juices such as lemonade, orange juice, and apple juice are sky high in tooth-damaging sugar, even if there’s no sugar added. Also, avoid serving these beverages in a sippy-cup as the liquid is slowly released, allowing the sugar more time to pool in your child’s mouth.
Let’s Compare:
| Drink (12 oz) | Acidity (pH) | Sugar (in teaspoons) |
| Water | 7.0 (neutral) | 0 |
| Milk | 6.7 | 1 |
| Orange Juice | 3.8 | 9 |
| Sprite | 3.3 | 10 |
| Diet Coke | 3.1 | 0 |
| Gatorade | 2.9 | 5 |
| Lemonade | 2.6 | 10 |
| Coca Cola | 2.4 | 10 |
| Battery Acid* | 1 | 0 |
*Note Battery Acid is NOT a drink and is listed for comparison purposes only.
Want to learn more on how drinks affect teeth? Download the app, Drinks Destroy Teeth and explore fun, interactive lessons on acid and sugar in popular drinks and how these drinks damage teeth. Please contact Tooth Fairy Smiles with any questions or concerns or to schedule a routine check-up for your child.
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