What do Teeth, OJ & Soft Drinks Have in Common? – Your Health Detective

Everyone these days seems intent on doing everything they can to have the brightest whitest teeth possible, including using 6-8% hydrogen peroxide to achieve the desired results.

What researchers at the University of Rochester, New York, determined is that acidic fruit juices (orange, grapefruit, etc.), markedly decrease hardness and increase roughness of tooth enamel – causing them to lose their natural brightness, especially as we age. Click to continue reading…

These findings were not possible before a new generation of scientific microscopes entered the investigative equation – allowing close-ups of surface detail like never before.

According to one of the researchers on the team, Dr. YanFang Ren, Associate Professor, Department of Dentistry, “The acid in orange juice is so strong that the tooth is literally washed away and the orange juice decreased enamel hardness by 84 percent.” These findings were published in Journal of Dentistry.

Although there has been concern about whitening products possibly affecting tooth enamel, this new testing showed no significant change in hardness or surface enamel from whitening. That said, most whitening products do cause teeth sensitivity, so much so that in some cases the procedure must be halted.

Dr. Ren’s studies showed most soft drinks and fruit juices are acidic, eroding and weakening tooth enamel. The studies further demonstrated that orange juice specifically caused significant erosion of the tooth surface. This study, and the new microscope, allowed Dr. Ren and his colleagues to understand the effect of whitening on enamel, relative to the effect of daily dietary activity, such as drinking juices.

Drinking soft, sport, or energy drinks and fruit juices daily poses serious erosion to teeth enamel, especially to younger children during developmental years.

The longer the teeth are in contact with acidic drinks, the more severe erosion. Those that sip their drinks slowly are more likely to cause damage than those that drink them swiftly.

Infants and children are especially at risk because their teeth are still developing. Infants who slowly sip acidic juices through a bottle or sippy cup are at high risk of permanently damaging tooth enamel.

Those who supplement their health protocols with Vitamin C powder or citrus-based chewables should use the same caution as for acidic and soft drinks; drink from a straw or brush and rinse thoroughly with warm water immediately after consumption, naturally.

Your Health Detective:

Uncovering Clues to Add LIFE to Your Years…NOT Merely Years to Your Life, Naturally

Dr. Gloria Gilbère (aka Dr. G), N.D., D.A.Hom., Ph.D.,

EcoErgonomist, Wholistic Rejuvenist

Creator of certificated courses to become a Wholistic Rejuvenist™ (CWR) and for post-graduate education for health professionals. Go to www.gloriagilbere.com and click on Wholistic Skin & Body Rejuvenation (WSBR™) for course outline. Available on-site at worldwide locations and via distance-learning at your convenience globally.

References

Ren, YF; Zhao, QZ; Malmstrom, HS; Barnes, VM; Xu, T. “Assessing fluoride treatment and resistance of dental enamel to soft drink erosion in vitro: applications of focus variation 3D microscopy and stylus profilometry”. Journal of Dentistry 37 (2009): 167-176.

Ren YF, Amin A, Malmstrom HS. “Effects of tooth whitening and orange juice on surface properties of dental enamel”. Journal of Dentistry 37 (2009): 424-431.