Mmmmm battery acid

[moshquerade]

Any body eat the "sour" type candies? Fyi, they are double whammies for your teeth, sugar and acid.

Jan 29, 2010 11:31 am US/Eastern
Study: Sour Candies Like Battery Acid On Teeth

New research may have parents passing right by the candy aisle, without stopping. A new study shows that those sticky, sour, chewy treats may be more like battery acid to children's teeth.

Ten-year-old Ryan is in for his regular dental exam when Dr. Teresa Fong asks an increasingly common question: "Do you eat lots of sour candies?"

"Sometimes," Ryan says.

A yellow patch on a tooth betrays trouble.

"That's the enamel that's gone from his tooth," Dr. Fong says.

Ryan's mother, Heather, admits that she has her favorite sour candies too.

"Sour Patch Kids for sure, Sour Skittles," she says.

According to a Minnesota Dental Association campaign, Sour Skittles register a PH level of 2.2, which means they're very acidic.

"And when you think about battery acid, which I'm sure no one wants to put in their mouth, that's a PH of one," Dr. Fong said.

Sour candies are so popular these days that even children's vitamins have jumped on the trend. Chewy sours may make matters even worse.

"When they're gummy or sticky, then they stick to our tooth surface," Dr. Fong says. "If they are not being cleared away from the tooth surface very quickly, they have a higher chance of causing cavities, and dissolving the enamel, too."

As a parent, your first instinct is probably to say, "okay, you ate that candy, now brush your teeth." But that's not good either, because the effects of the acid can last 20 to 30 minutes. Children shouldn't brush their teeth for an hour after eating sour candies.

University of Minnesota researchers showed how acid levels with a PH lower than 4.5 soften tooth enamel, and say the enamel needs time to re-harden. That's why brushing teeth too soon can actually accelerate enamel loss.

"You can drink milk, swish your mouth with water, eat cheese," Dr. Fong says. "You want to do something to neutralize that acid attack. Don't go and brush your teeth right away."

Pediatric dentists say beware – there is more sour in some sweets than promised on the label.

http://wcbstv.com/consumer/sour.candies.acid.2.1455977.html

 

[Double Trouble]

Hmmm... interesting. I never realized some of the observations/findings pointed out in the article. Thanks for posting. My kids, on the other hand, will not thank you for posting, since they love sour candies like sour skittles.

 

[Acanthus]

Interesting.

University of Minnesota researchers showed how acid levels with a PH lower than 4.5 soften tooth enamel, and say the enamel needs time to re-harden. That's why brushing teeth too soon can actually accelerate enamel loss.

 

[destrekor]

Hmmm... interesting. I never realized some of the observations/findings pointed out in the article. Thanks for posting. My kids, on the other hand, will not thank you for posting, since they love sour candies like sour skittles.

Hell, I love sour candies.
That is just so not fair.

Mosh will probably read this next line like a ghost story:
I used to eat sour candies while drinking pop.


I realize that with my cavity prone teeth, that was probably a terrible idea. I don't eat much candy anymore these days, or drink much pop. Though I did eat sour gummies while drinking a Sparks at the theater with my buds for Avatar 3D.

They need to invent a tasty basic carbonated beverage. Basic as opposed to acidic.

 

[Acanthus]

Hell, I love sour candies.
That is just so not fair.

Mosh will probably read this next line like a ghost story:
I used to eat sour candies while drinking pop.


I realize that with my cavity prone teeth, that was probably a terrible idea. I don't eat much candy anymore these days, or drink much pop. Though I did eat sour gummies while drinking a Sparks at the theater with my buds for Avatar 3D.

They need to invent a tasty basic carbonated beverage. Basic as opposed to acidic.

Quick! Go patent carbonated milk!

 

[FoBoT]

Most soft drinks weigh in with a pH level between 2.0-4.0
Coca Cola has pH of 2.52

 

[destrekor]

Quick! Go patent carbonated milk!

gasp. Milk is basic?
mmmmmm. I'll pass on carbonating the holy cow juice.

hey waitaminute. Milk's PH is under 7.
Very very very weak acidic properties, but acidic nonetheless.

 

[Rubycon]

Most soft drinks weigh in with a pH level between 2.0-4.0
Coca Cola has pH of 2.52

Yes soda pop is nasty stuff indeed! When one cannot find PB Blaster or Sea Foam Deep Creep around a bottle of Dr Pepper is surprisingly good at breaking loose a few corroded old nuts. :biggrin:

 

[CaptnKirk]

Dentist's conspiracy to make up for Fluoridation.

 

[Newbian]

Real men drink the battery acid straight up...

 

[Howard]

But I love sour skittles

 

[moshquerade]

Interesting.
Quote:
University of Minnesota researchers showed how acid levels with a PH lower than 4.5 soften tooth enamel, and say the enamel needs time to re-harden. That's why brushing teeth too soon can actually accelerate enamel loss.

Good quote Acanthus. A lot of people might not know, but you should give it a little time after eating before you brush your teeth especially if you eaten/drank something like an orange/orange juice (acidic) for example.

 

[Jeff7]

So what about citrus fruits? Or lemonade? Do they also cause tooth problems also?

 

[daw123]

I like sour Skittles more than the normal Skittles.

 

[Ika]

Hell, I love sour candies.
That is just so not fair.

Mosh will probably read this next line like a ghost story:
I used to eat sour candies while drinking pop.


I realize that with my cavity prone teeth, that was probably a terrible idea. I don't eat much candy anymore these days, or drink much pop. Though I did eat sour gummies while drinking a Sparks at the theater with my buds for Avatar 3D.

They need to invent a tasty basic carbonated beverage. Basic as opposed to acidic.

Quick! Go patent carbonated milk!

Carbonation contributes to the acidity - carbonic acid.

 

[BoomerD]

Yes soda pop is nasty stuff indeed! When one cannot find PB Blaster or Sea Foam Deep Creep around a bottle of Dr Pepper is surprisingly good at breaking loose a few corroded old nuts. :biggrin:

I'll be right over to let you give me a Dr. Pepper bath...

 

[MotF Bane]

I drank a large glass of orange juice every morning for 10+ years, and then brushed immediately.

 

[chusteczka]

Yes soda pop is nasty stuff indeed! When one cannot find PB Blaster or Sea Foam Deep Creep around a bottle of Dr Pepper is surprisingly good at breaking loose a few corroded old nuts. :biggrin:

Coca-Cola also helps greatly to remove rust.

On the submarine, we would use red bug juice to polish the brass fire nozzles.

http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Appendix:Glossary_of_U.S._Navy_slang

Bug Juice: Kool-Aid-like beverage in dispensers on the messdeck. Side-by-side - Orange or Red. Before the turn of the century bug juice was also used as a replacement for cleaning agents to clean decks with.

http://www.clancyfaq.com/book_faq.htm

B7 -- What is bug juice?

Bug juice is a US Navy name for a fruit flavored drink served on board vessels of the US Navy. It is an alternative to coffee and water. It comes in several flavors and colors. The colors have no relationship to flavor. Those in the know prefer the red variety. In a historical context, the term bug juice was sometimes used to refer to bootleg alcohol during WWII made from the fuel used to power US torpedoes. It was also referred to as "gilly" juice. One reference has it that extremely strong coffee was sometimes also referred to as bug juice. Recently, John Steinke reported that the early packages of Kool-Aid had Bugs Bunny on them. From this came "Bug's Juice" and, then simply "Bug Juice".

Image of bug juice.

 

[Kadarin]

Real men drink the battery acid straight up...

The guy on the left... http://www.alicia-logic.com/capsimages/bb_043RedLectroids.jpg

 

[Platypus]

sour candy is the only kind of candy I really like

I don't eat candy very often at all because I have an aversion to sweets, but when I want something it's definitely sour as hell. The red sour patch kids are possibly the best candy ever made

 

[moshquerade]

So what about citrus fruits? Or lemonade? Do they also cause tooth problems also?

anything acidic, yes.

I remember as a kid I would cut oranges into slices (skin on) and them put them on my teeth and suck out the juice. That is so bad... very bad.

Enamel does re-mineralize, calcium, fluoride helps, and so does our own saliva. But when you see older people with yellow teeth that is the toll that that acid and wearing thin of the enamel has taken on their teeth.

 

[ahenkel]

Oh I did that with lemons.

 

[Platypus]

Oh I did that with lemons.

as did I, same with limes, as a kid

 

[Miramonti]

No doubt this has come as a complete shock to these manufacturers...

 

[Modelworks]

Soft drinks and orange juice are not that big a problem but candy can be because you keep it in your mouth for long periods of time, it isn't like drinks where you just swallow it.