Here at The Courtyard Clinic we see a lot of lovely children and a lot of parents trying to look after their kids teeth the best that they can. Most of us believe that giving our children their 5-a-day of fruit and veg is in their best interest, providing them with good nutrition to provide optimum health.
This in the most part is true, however the risk with giving our children fruit juice or smoothies as one of their 5-a-day is that it can damage their teeth. Recent studies show that around half of five-year-olds have signs of wear on their tooth enamel- this is often associated with the high acid content in fruit juice and smoothies. The acid in fruit juices and smoothies can cause irreversible acid damage to the tooth enamel. Juicing or blending fruit also releases the sugars inside and is more harmful for the teeth if drunk frequently.
Most children love fruit juice and will continue to drink them, so if your little ones do drink fruit juices or smoothies try and do it at meal times, and attempt to wash away the acid with water or neutralise it with milk afterwards. If you are concerned about tooth erosion or wear of your child’s teeth, feel free to give us a call on 01932 582949 to have a chat.
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