Orange Juice Worse For Teeth Than Whitening Agents, Study Finds

ScienceDaily (July 1, 2009) — With the increasing popularity of whitening one’s teeth, researchers at the Eastman Institute for Oral Health, part of the University of Rochester Medical Center, set out to learn if there are negative effects on the tooth from using whitening products.

Eastman Institute’s YanFang Ren, DDS, PhD, and his team determined that the effects of 6 percent hydrogen peroxide, the common ingredient in professional and over-the-counter whitening products, are insignificant compared to acidic fruit juices. Orange juice markedly decreased hardness and increased roughness of tooth enamel.
Unlike ever before, researchers were able to see extensive surface detail thanks to a new focus-variation vertical scanning microscope. “The acid is so strong that the tooth is literally washed away,” said Ren, whose findings were recently published in Journal of Dentistry. “The orange juice decreased enamel hardness by 84 percent.” No significant change in hardness or surface enamel was found from whitening.
Weakened and eroded enamel may speed up the wear of the tooth and increase the risk for tooth decay to quickly develop and spread. “Most soft drinks, including sodas and fruit juices, are acidic in nature,” Ren said. “Our studies demonstrated that the orange juice, as an example, can potentially cause significant erosion of teeth.”
It’s long been known that juice and sodas have high acid content, and can negatively affect enamel hardness. “There are also some studies that showed whitening can affect the hardness of dental enamel, but until now, nobody had compared the two,” Ren explained. “This study allowed us to understand the effect of whitening on enamel relative to the effect of a daily dietary activity, such as drinking juices.
“It’s potentially a very serious problem for people who drink sodas and fruit juices daily,” said Ren, who added that dental researchers nationwide are increasingly studying tooth erosion, and are investing significant resources into possible preventions and treatments. “We do not yet have an effective tool to avert the erosive effects, although there are early indications that higher levels of fluoride may help slow down the erosion.”
A Texas-based company, Beyond Dental and Health, sponsored the trial in part by providing the 6 percent hydrogen peroxide.
In the meantime, Ren advises that consumers be aware of the acidic nature of beverages, including sodas, fruit juices, sports and energy drinks. The longer teeth are in contact with the acidic drinks, the more severe the erosion will be. People who sip their drinks slowly over 20 minutes are more likely to have tooth erosion than those who finish a drink quickly. It’s also very important to keep good oral hygiene practices, Ren added, by brushing twice daily with fluoride toothpaste, and see a dentist for a fluoride treatment at least once a year if you are at risk.

deenis Wrote:
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> ScienceDaily (July 1, 2009) —........
> ....... It’s also very
> important to keep good oral hygiene practices, Ren
> added, by brushing twice daily with fluoride
> toothpaste, and see a dentist for a fluoride
> treatment at least once a year if you are at risk.
Anything someone says who advises this has
to be discredited....WY

deenis dig deep to find out who are paying for these studies and you will find they are funded by the very people who are trying to push toothpaste, toxins like fluoride etc on the public

...Jodi, the banana eating buddhist

Thanks. I thought that these results were way too over the top. Orange juice bad for you???? Hard to believe. It seems to me that this would have been discovered 50 years ago by observing the teeth of those working in O.J. plantations.

My parents are strict vegans and drink copious amounts of fresh carrot and lemon juice daily. The acid from the lemon juice has destroyed the enamel on my dad's teeth even though they rinse immediately and have good dental hygiene. I'm not sure how to get around this problem and still take in large amounts of the citrus produce?

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"Educate and inform the whole mass of the people... They are the only sure reliance for the preservation of our liberty."
—Thomas Jefferson

use a straw so the liquid doesnt pass over your teeth

ive been oil pulling on a regular basis and have noticed over the last 6-8 months my lifelong tooth sensitivty is nearly gone .. i think the oil helps add a bit of barrier maybe as well as re-mineralizing .. just a thought

i also drink wheatgrass swishing it around in my mouth, and im not 100% certain on this but i beleive ive read somewheres that wheatgrass is very -remineralizing as well

instead of drinking strait lemon juice or other citrus's if they do tend to bother you, maybe mix them with more non acid types and spread it out over the day. im not really sure if this would help or not though

were all different and unfortunately there doesnt seem to be any real 100% answer for everyone .. some people seem to have NO problems eating/drinking lemons and other citrus and some people do

im guessing it has some do with genetics and some to do with how much damage your teeth have already been subjected too before becomeing raw

...Jodi, the banana eating buddhist




Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 07/02/2009 07:35PM by Jgunn.

Hey Jgunn, what does "oil pulling" mean?

hi deenis here is a site on oil pulling [www.oilpulling.com]

...Jodi, the banana eating buddhist

plainlydressed,

I always rinse me mouth out with filtered water after acidic food or beverage. And I wait to brush my teeth, so any residual acids don't get pumiced into my teeth by the brushing action. Disaster averted, according to my assiduous dentista!