This Is Why Toothpaste Makes Orange Juice Taste Bad

This Is Why Toothpaste Makes Orange Juice Taste Bad

It can be the bane of your morning. You brush your teeth and chug down a glass of orange juice on the way out the door. And then ... UGH. The taste hits you like a sack of lemons.

So what happened?

The video above from the American Chemical Society's Reactions series explains that the detergent often found in toothpaste, sodium lauryl sulfate, suppresses sweetness receptors. That leads to a chain of events in your mouth which turn your glass of sugary sunshine into an acid cocktail.

According to Science Made Simple, sodium lauryl sulfate is used in 99 percent of toothpastes -- so the yucky taste combo might be tough to avoid.

Or you could take the advice of one YouTuber, who wrote that he brushes his teeth after drinking orange juice.

Science, indeed.

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