In one 12-ounce can, Mountain Dew has 12 teaspoons of sugar and a pH of 3.3 – this is very acidic. However, these dental procedures cannot distract focus from the main problem. Luckily, implant dentistry can help many patients' smiles return to functioning normally. If Mountain Dew has taken its toll on a smile, the only option is to extract all of the teeth and have complete dentures. After years of ingestion, along with irregular dental check-ups, many teens come to us once it’s too late. Many times, composite fillings, root canals, and crowns can’t save the teeth.įar too often, I have seen teenagers in the Kingsport area who have grown up on Mountain Dew. The combined acid and sugar bomb literally eats away at teeth. In dentistry, we have actually coined the name “Mountain Dew Mouth” to describe patients who have completely destroyed their teeth by bathing them in the Dew. The Harmful Effects of Mountain Dew on Teeth But unfortunately, one thing hasn’t changed: how it irreversibly destroys teeth. Since then, there have been variations in flavoring and color. Originating from Tennessee in 1940, Mountain Dew was eventually bought by Pepsi-Cola in 1964. In an instant, you can recognize the green and red logo that is found on every Mountain Dew. And no, folks don't get shot on sight.You can’t go to any supermarket, gas station, or convenience store without it seeing it. Despite the horrible press Appalachia gets, it is still a wonderful place to visit, the mountains are amazing in the summer and fall. If there were some way to get more industry there things could get better. It can be such a beautiful place, but has such misery. I don't know how a lot of people survive there now, and if you have no education or skills you can't get out and go look for work in other states. I remember a mountain that was bare from the mining that kept food on everyone's table. But when we would go out into the county to visit relatives the stark reality around us would show up. My neighborhood was as middle class as you get, with my and most of my friends' families somehow employed in or around the coal industry (and back then my Dad's insurance covered our dental completely, so we have our teeth). I grew up in a little town called Paintsville during better times in the coal industry in the 70s. 20/20 is running a special tonight on the children of Appalachia.ġ. I live in Appalachia, technically, but my area's not that bad off.Īnd the only thing that could help in any permanent way would be jobs. With 50 percent more caffeine than Coke or Pepsi, Mountain Dew seems to be used as a kind of anti-depressant for children in the hills. According to dentists, one of the main culprits is Mountain Dew soda. It's a stereotype rooted in a terrible fact. Teenagers have pulled their own teeth with pliers because of tooth pain, and he's treated 2-year-olds with up to 12 cavities in their baby teeth. I really believe we have to do a better job educating." Smith says he's seen firsthand the results of neglect among these children. "Grandma had dentures, mom had dentures, it's just inevitable that I'm going to end up with dentures, is the way some of these kids feel. "It's a generational thing, I think," said Smith. For many, it's the first and only dental check-up they'll have for years. Most children dread the dentist, but those who line up outside Smith's van are often giddy with anticipation. Several days a week, he criss-crosses the curvy roads of 16 eastern Kentucky counties to offer free dental screenings and services to hundreds of students. Four years ago, he invested $150,000 of his own money to build a mobile dental clinic, Kids First Dental Care, inside an 18-wheel truck. Edwin Smith, of Barbourville, Ky., is on a mission to save the teeth of Eastern Kentucky's children.
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