Parents who buy juice with a label that says “no sugar added” might think they are doing something good for their children, but there are some hidden dangers.
Look deeper at the nutritional labels and you will see that many juices have natural sugars, which can do damage to children’s teeth.
Dr. Ammar Idlibi, a pediatric dentist from Kids Dental Care & Orthodontics, in Bristol, has seen thousands of children with rapid tooth decay in Connecticut over the years and that is why he came up with a beverage as an alternative to those that contribute to tooth decay.
“Even if it's 100 percent natural juice with no sugar added, or even if it's unsweetened milk, parents don't realize they still contain sugar that can promote tooth decay,” Idlibi said.
He worked with a beverage chemist to develop his tooth-friendly drink for children and adults.
“This is 100 percent natural. I don't want to put any preservatives in it or artificial sweeteners. Parents don’t like to give these things to their children, and that's not something I like to give to my own children,” he said.
The patent is pending on the drink, which include vitamins and the natural sweetener xylitol, a sugar substitute found in fibers of fruits and vegtables that scientists discovered more than 100 years ago.
It has fewer calories than sugar and reduces the amount of oral bacteria that causes tooth decay, the dentist said.
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Dr. Adlibi's healthy sweet beverage is sold at Kids Dental in Bristol and will be hitting the shelves of ShopRite and Big Y stores soon.
He said he is not against beverages with sugar, but he recommends parents limit children to drinking them only at certain times.
“I would tell parents they can drink as much milk as they want, (and) as much juice, as long as they do it a limited number of times, during meals, once or twice a day, no problem,” Idlibi said.
This is not just advice he gives, but something he practices. Idlibi has six children. He recommends giving children water between meals, but he knows they often prefer something sweet, which is where his drink comes in.
