As moms, we want to make sure that our kids are healthy and happy. It’s difficult to make sure that your child is eating all their fruits & veggies (especially if the dog is the one gaining weight) and getting all their vitamins. So you pop a gummy vitamin in their mouth and send them on their way, knowing they’ll eat ‘em up like candy while you bask in the knowledge that you’re meeting their nutritional needs.
Yes, but…
You’re basically giving them vitamin-enhanced candy. Gummy candy is traditionally made from a mixture of sugar, glucose syrup, starch, flavoring, food coloring, citric acid, and gelatin. Now look at the label on your gummy vitamins and you’ll see sugars, gelatin, citric acid, flavoring, and coloring.
Not much difference except for the vitamins and minerals. And the effect on your child’s teeth won’t be any different either.
A Double Whammy
Both gummy candy and gummy vitamins contains citric acid and sugars. While citric acid is an organic compound found in most fruits & veggies (it’s most concentrated in citrus fruits), it’s also used as a preservative and to flavor foods and beverages. The problem with citric acid can be found in its name: acid. Citric acid dissolves tooth enamel and, in children, this is especially problematic since their tooth enamel is softer than an adult’s. Once the enamel breaks down, bacteria can invade and cause tooth decay.
So you have citric acid dissolving the tooth enamel and then you having sugars feeding the bacteria that take up residence. The bacteria when exposed to sugar, produces an acid that erodes tooth enamel. The result is a double attack on your child’s teeth!
The Gummy Factor
Gummy candy, gummy vitamins. They’re named gummy for a reason – they are super sticky! They cling to teeth like glue, giving the sugar and citric acid more time to do their damage. Saliva can’t wash it away and even rinsing doesn’t work. They’re a dental nightmare!
If you can’t switch to chewable vitamins (they dissolve), make sure to give your kids their vitamins (anything with sugar should be eaten with a meal) during the meal. Saliva production increases during eating and helps get rid of residue. Afterwards make sure they brush their teeth really well. Then you can bask in the knowledge that not only are their bodies healthy, but their smiles are too!
Share Your Thoughts
Questions? Comments? Post them in the comments below!
Wishing you a lifetime of healthy smiles,
Antoinette aka The Twooth Fairy
I value the blog.Thanks Again. Want more.
Thank you! I know I need to be better about posting. I’ll try to do better.
Preach on. I never understood candy vitamins. Seems like an oxymoron. But it’s sad how companies trick you when all you are out to do is good.
Hi Jalanda,
It does seem like an oxymoron but, on the other hand, how are you going to get kids to take vitamins if they don’t taste good? I think it’s more of a catch-22! Just about all of children’s vitamins have sugar to make them palatable but the most harmful ones are gummy vitamins because they are sticky, keeping teeth exposed to sugar for a much longer time. Ideally you want to give kids vitamins right after breakfast and before they brush their teeth.
Its the same with medicine, our 2 year old loves taking his medicine because it tastes so good, but in with the pain relief element is good ol sugar.
Thanks for posting about this. More people need to be aware that they are really just feeding them candy. What do you thing are the alternatives to the gummy vitamins, apart from the vitamins that dissolve.
Realistically, you’re not going to get something nasty tasting into a child’s mouth (without having spit out in your face). I think a healthier alternative for sugar in medicines and vitamins is Xylitol. It’s just as sweet and all natural but doesn’t ‘feed’ oral bacteria. You can most likely get them at health food stores or online.
Thanks for sharing this. As a mom of 2 kids, I would never have thought of such a downside to gummy vitamins but this blog makes an excellent point.
Hi Caroline, Crazy, huh?! Something that’s supposed to be good for your kids actually harms them. Thanks for sharing!