4 Common Kids Drinks That Have More Sugar Than Christmas Candy

Since Christmas just ended, sugary candies are sure to abound in your kids’ stockings and piles of gifts. Now, normally, we make it a point to stress the importance of maintaining good dental hygiene to prevent damage to teeth (or dental gear) while enjoying extra treats. However, did you know sugary drinks are a commonly overlooked culprit of tooth decay? Pretty shocking, we know.

So, we’ve come up with a list of those drinks that are pretty common yet most don’t know have tons of sugar. Whether your children are trying to stay hydrated playing sports or want to enjoy juice at home, you should definitely keep an eye on the labels if you want to keep their teeth healthy.

Hot chocolate.

Hot chocolate is a holiday and wintertime staple for drinks. But before you let your kids go crazy with hot cocoa, you should know that a regular 8 ounce cup has 24 grams of sugar. And let’s be honest, your kids are going to drink at least 2 cups in a sitting, so that’s 48 grams of sugar. For comparison, a regular size Hershey’s bar has around 17 grams.

Gatorade.

Gatorade is another common go-to drink for kids who are active in sports. Unfortunately, they may not be the best choice for post-exercise rehydration either. While it can vary between flavors, a typical 20 ounce bottle of Gatorade averages 34 grams of sugar. Yikes.

Grape juice.

Tooth decay can often be a result of parents giving toddlers various “healthy” fruit juices at home. Did you know that grape juice contains more sugar than almost any other type of juice? A 12 ounce glass of grape juice contains more than 58 grams of sugar. That’s 20 grams more than a bottle of Coke, a common holiday-marketed drink.

Lemonade.

Ahh. One summertime favorite, Lemonade, is absolutely loaded in sugar. A regular 20 ounce bottle has about 67 grams of sugar. Surprising, isn’t it? While you definitely will still want to let your kids enjoy this tart drink, just be aware that it’s loaded in sugar.

We want people (young and old) to be able to enjoy some sugary treats not only during Christmas but also year round. Just make sure to brush your teeth after meals, after eating all those yummy winter treats, and after drinking sugary drinks to keep teeth and dental gear in great shape. It’s the things you’re least suspecting that will creep up on your dental health!

All About Activated Charcoal

For those who are looking to whiten their teeth, there is something called activated charcoal. While some Kennewick Washington dentist might encourage this, it’s best to learn about what exactly it is before you engage in this process. This article will go over exactly what activated charcoal can do for you.

Now, activated charcoal is actually very similar in nature to barbecue charcoal. You’ve probably seen those types of pellets in your grill, but this is used in medical applications.  It’s essentially made by heating charcoal with a gas that creates pores in the charcoal itself in order to trap the chemicals in it.  it’s also used to help treat any gas in intestines, cholestasis in pregnancy, and even to lower your cholesterol levels.  It doesn’t have a smell, doesn’t have a taste, and you can get it in tablet form from the health food store.

Now how this works is that it will bind to the rough parts of your teeth, which usually have surface stains and plaque, which makes it easier to remove the substance.  Once the charcoal has time to stick to your teeth, it’ll be removed, and when you do remove it, the stains are taken along with it as a result.  Essentially, it gets rid of the stains in one move, but because it does latch onto your teeth, it doesn’t change the color or teeth that are very deeply stained or have a natural yellowing. Because of this, it’s important to note that if you are using this, if you do need professional bleaching, you do so too.

Now, this charcoal is safe to ingest, but it’s important to note that it can damage you tooth enamel if it’s scrubbed.  You should only lightly touch the teeth when you put the charcoal on so that you’re not scaping or chipping your teeth.  If you have any wounds, cuts, and abrasions in your mouth, you shouldn’t put this on.  As always, you should make sure that you do talk to your dentist about it. Not just because of health reasons, but also because it might not be what you need. You might actually need professional bleaching for this.

If you do want to use this though, and you’ve talked to your dentist, the process is actually pretty simple. The first thing you should do is get the mineral from the health food store and pharmacy.  Often, they are in tablet form, so you should grind these tablets. Remember, it’s used to treat a ton of other conditions, so make sure to grind about a teaspoon or two in the container. Once it is a dust, you should add enough water to create a paste. 

Once you have the paste ready, you should put it on your teeth. While you don’t have to clean them, you should make sure that you do just barely tap and dab it onto the teeth rather than rubbing them.  remember, this can still damage your teeth if you do that.

In essence, time is actually pretty short in terms of leaving this on. You should make sure that you do have this in your mouth for about three minutes so that you have the charcoal bind to the surface stains on your teeth. You can leave it in for a couple minutes longer if your mouth is very salivated, and it’s best to try and have your teeth open so that it can stick and bind.  Once you are done with that, you should then rinse it out with some water and oral wash a few times, and then proceed to brush your teeth in order to get any final remnants.

This is a great and interesting sort of means to help whiten your teeth. You should definitely consult the Kennewick Washington dentist that you have, and find out if this is the right treatment for you. Remember none of this could truly replace professional bleaching, but if you want to bring a hint of brightness to your teeth for a moment or so, you can do so by using this.  It’s a simple means to really help make your mouth shine, and definitely worth it.