Drinking juice not as healthy as we think, especially for teeth

If you could prevent teeth from dying, mouth pain, and thousands of missed school and work hours, would you? Avoid multiple cups of juice in a day.

Over time, drinking multiple daily cups of juice makes the teeth and the body sick. It is often thought that juice is “healthy” because it contains fruit. However, juice concentrates the sugar from natural fruit, spoils the natural fiber, and sometimes adds even more processed sugar.

Few people eat three apples in a day, yet one glass of apple juice contains processed sugar equivalent to about three apples, so drinking many cups of juice in a day means consuming liquid sugar.

The amount of sugar in juice causes cavities in teeth – especially baby teeth. The damage excessive juice sugar causes does not stop at the mouth – it is associated with diabetes, obesity, and heart problems.

Rotten teeth are one of the first signs of what excessive juice is doing to the body: hurting it. Increasing water intake and limiting juice consumption to mealtimes (or trying zero calorie, sugar-free juice) will help prevent cavities and keep the body healthier.

Kristin Sweeney, DMD, Columbus