At City Kids Dental North Shore, we want to help you evaluate your child’s risk for tooth decay! Our team is happy to discuss the relationship between fruit juice and dental decay. We believe that following the new American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommendations is a great start to minimizing your child’s risk for tooth decay. The AAP policy statement recommends:
- No juice for children under 12 months of age: It offers no nutritional benefit to babies.
- For children ages one to three years old: Limit fruit juice consumption to no more than 4 ounces each day.
- For children ages four to six years of age: Limit fruit juice consumption to 4 to 6 ounces each day.
- For children 7 to 18 years of age: Limit fruit juice consumption to 8 ounces or 1 cup of the recommended 2 to 2.5 cups of fruit servings per day.
- Encourage whole fruit over juice. Whole fruits also provide fiber and other nutrients. Fruit also beats juice when it comes to fighting tooth decay. When kids carry around sippy cups with juice — or worse, take it to bed with them in a bottle — their teeth are continuously exposed to carbohydrates. That leads to cavities.
- At City Kids Dental North Shore, we Encourage water over juice. Water is great for hydration and it helps clear the teeth of sugars, carbohydrates and bacterial acids. It helps fight tooth decay!
