Teens, Tweens and Speciality Coffees – Should Parents be Concerned?

A healthy diet is one of the primary concerns of most parents, and can go a long way in helping children keep their teeth healthy. Unfortunately, some of your child’s favorite drinks at the coffee bar are packed with sugar, and terrible for their teeth.

Sugar feeds the harmful bacteria on teeth, and creates acid that erodes enamel. This causes plaque and ultimately cavities, which is why you should limit the number of sugary foods and drinks your child consumes. Unfortunately, most of your kid’s favorite drinks from places like Starbucks are absolutely LOADED with sugar.

The American Heart Association recommends that children limit their daily sugar intake to less than 26 grams per day, and adults should have less than 36 grams per day. Unfortunately, most of the items on the coffee bar menu far exceed 30 grams of sugar – even if the drink is a “small” (tall) on the menu.

1 – Any Frappuccino
Frappuccinos come in a variety of flavors, but each of them contains far more sugar than your child needs to consume in one day.
2 – Iced White Chocolate Mocha
Another iced drink, is Iced White Chocolate Mocha contains 54 grams of sugar per drink, which is far too much sugar for one drink to contain.
3 – Cinnamon Dolce Crème
The Cinnamon Dolce Crème doesn’t have caffeine, but it is loaded with sugar at 28 grams of sugar in a tall drink, and 37 grams in a grande.

Visit Our Office
We suggest that your tweens and teens avoids visiting coffee bars, and instead focuses on drinking more water and real fruit juices. Drinks from coffee bars are loaded with sugar that can cause cavities, and lead to other oral health issues.

Visit our office for more information about a mouth-healthy diet that can help your child grow a healthy smile. Call our office at 703-263-0575.