Are Citrus Oils Safe for Your Teeth?

With the ongoing debate about the effects of citrus oils on tooth enamel, we decided to find answers for ourselves! Led by Dr. Michael Buch, former section president of the American Association of Dental Research and Young Living Chief Science Officer, along with his team, performed a laboratory analysis to determine if Young Living’s pure citrus essential oils affected tooth enamel similarly to citrus juices.

Citrus juices have been shown to cause acid erosion of tooth enamel over time because they contain acids that lower the pH in the mouth to a point that softens tooth enamel.

Simply put, the more acidic (lower pH) the mouth is, the more likely it is for tooth enamel to be affected.

THE GENERAL TEST PROCEDURE WAS AS FOLLOWS:

1. A pH electrode was immersed in purified water, and the pH was measured.
2. 5 ml of freshly squeezed citrus juice was added to a beaker of water and the pH was re-measured.
3. In another beaker, an equal amount of the corresponding Young Living citrus essential oil was added to the water, and the pH was measured in the same way.

Lemon, Lime, Tangerine, Orange and Grapefruit oils were tested. Each of the fruit juices was found to be at least 10 times more acidic that its corresponding Young Living essential oil.

In fact, the Young Living essential oils only caused minimal pH changes to the water (averaging less than 1pH unit).

These laboratory results confirm that Young Living’s citrus essential oils do not lower pH like fruit juices and therefore, are far less likely to cause acid erosion to enamel.

Thanks to the research done by Dr. Buch’s team, you can rest assured that the citrus essential oils you love from Young Living won’t compromise your tooth enamel.

Now that you’ve got the facts, which of our delicious citrus Plus essential oils will you be adding to your next recipe? Let us know in the comments!