The Truth About Sugary Drinks and Your Smile

Sugar may be fun to consume if you're a kid, but it is not that healthy when it comes to your teeth! Your child may have a love of sweet things, but unfortunately, so do bacteria.

Sugar or sucrose is seen by the bacteria as food. It causes tooth decay, because the bacteria make acid in the process and the teeth get etched away by the acid.

How much sugar does your family eat? With meals, drinks, and snacks included, it could be more than the average dentist would recommend.

Check out these dental health tips to find out some top tips for reducing sugar in snacks for children. Getting some ideas to reduce sugar can't hurt!

1. Know Added Sugar Limits

The U.S. FDA recommends that if you're over the age of 3, you get no more over 12.5 teaspoons of added sugar (same as 1 can soda). Adults need to consume no more than 6 teaspoons, and children not over 3 teaspoons. Remember that sweeteners often have other names besides simply 'sugar'. Sugar is put on the list in grams, and one teaspoon is the same as 4 grams of sugar.

2. Juice Has Sugar

Juice seems healthy, but it isn't. It's just a frequent choice to give children for some reason, but water as well as milk are the way to go because they are hydrating and do not come with all of those calories. If your child is under the age of 1, they shouldn't have juice in their diet.

Older kids can have juice, but those six and younger should not exceed 6 ounces a day. Children from ages 7 to 18 shouldn't exceed 8-12 ounces. Juice can assist tooth decay because bacteria get the opportunity to eat and produce teeth-destroying acid.

It can even happen to juice that has been diluted with water since there is still sugar inside. Limit juice and promote water first or milk. If you must give in to the juice demand, ensure that it's an appropriate single serving.

3. Cut Out Soda

Get rid of any soda because the sugar or sweeteners with the acidic nature of these carbonated drinks make them horrible for your teeth. A can of soda is three days' worth of recommended sugar for a child. Drinks with sugar and teens with bad dental health.

4. Stay Away From Sticky Snacks

If a snack is sticky, it might have way too much sugar. Parents may be surprised to find out that gummy or fruit snacks are not as healthy as advertised. They can often be crammed with sweeteners but the worst part is that the sticky texture means it adheres to the teeth and in between and for far longer than usual.

5. Deliver Carbs Carefully

Kids really love snacks like cookies, chips, and crackers. But a lot of those snacks are not only packed with preservatives and low nutritional value, but they have carbs that end up being broken down into sugar.

6. Be A Good Role Model

Being a good role model is all about setting the example. If you want your kids to eat well, you have to be the one showing them what that looks like! Setting the example can be a case of monkey see, monkey do. Help improve the health of your family by eating well as well as brushing twice a day (2 minutes each time) and flossing and using mouthwash.