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.
Now that you’ve got the facts, which of our delicious citrus Vitality essential oils will you be adding to your next recipe?
Let us know in the comments!
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I use lemon oil in my coconutoilbased toothpaste.
Cool article! I wish YL would get their studies in peer reviewed journals to show the world that we are legit!! Are there any discussions about that? Go science!
Hello! Thank you for your feedback and suggestion! We will forward your suggestion on for future consideration. Thanks for stopping by!
Thank you so much for this article. I have illnesses that need a more alkaline diet. This showed me the alkaline vs/ acid. Even though this is for teeth, it is much needed info for my diet.
Glad we could help Kathy! Thanks for your comment.
I would like to see the full research methods with specific measures i.e. Ratios. Also what is the impact of 1 pH shift on tooth enamel? Was the research peer reviewed?
Pam it looks like their test would be very simple to recreate at home! All you need is litmus paper, citrus, and the corresponding oil. You can find litmus testing paper for a few dollars at department stores.
An experiment such as this would not be submitted to a peer reviewed journal, as all it is is mixing these two liquids with water and testing ph.
If the oils dropped the pH down to 6 (from a neutral of 7) then that would be the equivalent pH of most grains that are consumed :)
Hope this helped.
Hello Pam, The study referenced in this post is a simple study that was done in-house to compare the pH of water, water with citrus oil added, and water with citrus juice added. The exact testing methods are proprietary.
To reiterate, we found that the citrus essential oils tested only caused minimal pH changes to the water confirming that citrus essential oils should not cause acid erosion. Another important point to remember, unlike citrus juices, essential oils do not contain citric acid which is what makes citric acid acidic. If you have additional concerns, please discuss this subject further with your dentist. Thanks for stopping by!
My new favorite is Jade Lemon Vitality oil but I change it up every few days using all of the citrus vitality oils. I have a glass water bottle that I add the oils to. Because of motion the oils disperse throughout the water mixing very well without floating on top.
This is really good to know! I'm drinking water enhanced with Slique today. Love Citrus Fresh blend and all of the individual citrus flavors too. As a person who has multiple dental issues, this information brings me comfort that I am not further damaging my teeth by consuming citrus flavored oils. <3
From what I learned when I worked as a dental assistant is that when sugar collides with acid, that's when you get problem. Cut the sugar!
Thank you for such nice article. I always fear that lemon type fruits damage my teeth enamel. Though I love orange and lemonade in summer.
How do you add these oils to water? Doesn't it just separate out?
I like to drop my oil in my glass first before adding the water. It doesn't mix, but I feel it "coats" the walls of my glass.
Hi Dawn, As it is true that water and oil do not mix, when adding it to the water you are still able to taste the flavor as well and getting the intended benefit. We hope this is useful. Thanks for stopping by!
Dawn, shake or stir your water very well before each sip ;)
Will using oils while brushing cause damage to crowns
Hi Celeste, Thanks for stopping by! We feel that if label directions are followed there should be no problem using them with crowns. However we would recommend speaking your dentist prior to using Essential Oils.
Hi Celeste, Thanks for stopping by! We feel that if label directions are followed there should be no problem using them with crowns. However we would recommend speaking your dentist prior.