Sugar in My Cough Syrup?

When your child develops a nagging cough, your number one goal is to make them feel better as soon as possible. This is true morning noon and night. Because cough medicine doesn’t taste great on its own, helping your child get well often involves several doses of flavored cough syrup.

What many parents may not realize is that flavored cough syrups are often full of sugar – sugar used to improve the taste. It is also very unlikely that any of us brush our teeth immediately after taking these cough syrups. After all, the point is to have the syrup coat your throat, you wouldn’t want to immediately wash away some of the benefit of the syrup. However this extra sugary on your teeth and gums can lead to cavities and even to bad breath.

Just like with any other food or beverage – by brushing and flossing regularly you will greatly reduce your chances for tooth decay. Next time you shop for cough syrup be sure to look for brands that do not add sugar or other sweeteners.