Now it may be 21st century but some things can still surprise you.  It is really incredible what I am now learning about health and not because of the pandemic.  One of those areas that come to mind is teeth thanks to all these stupid mask mandates.  When it comes to dental health, so often we hear to stay away from candies. Why is it that candy of all things seems to be the “big bad guy” of the dental world? Well, one of the main reasons is how sugary they are. The more sugar you consume, the more likely that sugar is to take hold on your teeth and cause plaque to build up and eat away at your teeth’s enamel.  Part of this is done for some awful reasons. 

The thing is, there are other food and drinks out there that have far more sugar than candy boxes contain; you just don’t ever hear about it.  It is something that our media and FDA try to keep out of all news so we become addicted to it and are forced to use it in our foods every day.  Our tariffs that are placed on alternatives destroy any possibility of having it any other way.  

So, we’ve come up with a list of those drinks that are pretty common yet have tons of sugar. Whether you’re trying to stay hydrated playing sports or want to enjoy juice at home, you should definitely keep an eye on drink labels if you want to keep your teeth healthy.

It really is sad to see that grape juice is mostly just bad for you.  Tooth decay can often occur because of the various “healthy” fruit juices you may have at home. But were you aware that grape juice contains more sugar than almost any other type of juice?  That is because it is simply not really good for you at all.  A twelve ounce glass of grape juice contains more than 58 grams of sugar. That’s 2 full ounces of pure sugar in the twelve ounce glass and around 20 grams more than a can of soda.  This means it can really harm your health and you should think about drinking something else on a regular basis.

It is truly sad to think that a health drink like vitamin water could be one of the least healthy drinks of all.  But drinks with “vitamin” in their names aren’t always as healthy as they may advertise. While they may be packed with specific vitamins, be sure to check the label for what all is within. So before you grab yourself a vitamin water, you should know that a regular twenty-ounce bottle has 31 grams of sugar. For comparison, a regular size candy bar has around 27 grams.So, think about that the next time you want to drink healthy things.  Go get a water instead. 

We all know that sports drinks like Gatorade are not super healthy, but are there for a purpose of allowing you to keep up a sporting activity.  This is another common go-to drink for people who are active in sports and exercise. Unfortunately, it may not be the best choice for post-exercise rehydration. While it can vary between flavors, a typical twenty-ounce bottle of Gatorade averages 34 grams of sugar.  This is a terrible way to feel healthy and for most people, they are rotting their teeth while they play basketball. Why not eat a few candy boxes instead.