Watered-Down Juice vs. Regular Juice

It takes 3 full oranges to make one cup (8oz) of orange juice. That is a lot of sugar.

We always ask parents about what their children drink. Frequent consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages are one of the main causes of tooth decay.

The usual response we get: “Water, milk, and juice, but we water down the juice so it’s mostly water”.

Is watered-down juice ok for the teeth?

Short answer. No. The bacteria in the mouth need sugar to cause cavities in the teeth. The amount doesn’t really matter, but the frequency of consumption does. The bacteria convert that sugar to acid, which erodes away your child’s teeth.

So…if you add a little juice to a big cup of water and let your child sip on it for a few hours, you’re child is soaking their teeth in sugar and acid the entire time. That’s a recipe for disaster for your child’s teeth.

If my child likes juice, what can I do?

It may seem counter intuitive, but give them full strength juice. Limit it to one cup a day, and keep it with a meal. When the meal is over, the juice is gone for the day.

Think of sugar as an insult to the teeth. If your child is constantly consuming sugar, they are constantly harming the teeth. The teeth need a break throughout the day to heal and remineralize.

Teeth of a child who drinks watered down juice in a 360 cup throughout the day.

What else should my child drink?

Water. Water should be the only drink consumed not during meals.

If your child drinks milk, keep it with meals. We often have children show up in the office with a sippy cup of lukewarm cow’s milk they’ve been drinking for hours. That can be bad for both the teeth and potentially the body due to bacterial growth in the warm milk.

What if my child is used to drinking juice throughout the day?

If you’re OK with sugar-free substitutes (like water enhancers), you can start giving diluted sugar-free drinks until you can transition to water.

Sugar is very addictive. Transitioning away from frequent consumption will be challenging. Expect a long, difficult journey. But like anything, decreasing sugar consumption will dramatically improve the dental and overall health of your child, and decrease their risk of many preventable health issues.

Instead of juice, just eat the fruit!

It takes a lot of fruit to make little juice.

It takes 3-4 apples to make a cup (8oz) of apple juice.

It takes a pound of grapes to make a cup (8oz) of grape juice.

It takes 3 oranges to make a cup (8oz) of orange juice.

Most juices, contain none of this nutrition. Most are artificially flavored with added sugar. If the juice container states: “Made with real fruit juices from concentrate”, it’s not real fruit juice. It’s some trace fruit with a lot of added sugars.

Eat fruit, drink water. Don’t drink fruit.

And keep the fruit and sugars with meals. It’s honestly that simple.