Do You Know the pH Level of Your Child’s Favorite Snack?

Remember learning about the different pH levels in high school chemistry class? Turns out they’re quite useful when it comes to caring for your teeth! Research has recently been performed to address the adverse effects that sugar and low pH levels have on the enamel of your teeth.

As your local pediatric dentistry we’d like to take a moment to note just how bad some of your child’s favorite snacks are for those little teeth! According to Dr. John Ruby of the University of Alabama school of Dentistry, a neutral pH level is 7, and your teeth experience tooth enamel loss with a pH of 4 and lower. (Keep in mind that battery acid is 1 pH!) Below is a list of some popular snack and drink items and their corresponding pH level:

• Barq’s Root Beer 4.0 pH
• Mountain Dew 3.3 pH
• Red Bull 3.3 pH
• Diet Coke 3.1 pH
• Sour Gummy Bears 3.0 pH
• Skittles 2.5 pH
• Gummy Vitamins 2.5 pH
• Coca-Cola 2.4 pH
• Starburst 2.4 pH
• Sour Skittles 2.2 pH
• Wonka Fun Dip 1.8 pH
• Warheads Sour Spray 1.6 pH

While these snacks are delicious and admittedly difficult to resist, the health of your child’s teeth rely on your ability to help him or her avoid snacks with these low pH levels.Can you believe that gummy vitamins can be just as bad for your children’s teeth as Skittles? However, if your pediatrician is recommending that your child take vitamins, we suggest taking the chewable type. If you have any questions regarding your child’s diet or dental health, don’t hesitate to contact your children’s dentist in Melbourne.