Mountain Dew Mouth

In many regions of Appalachia there is a major decline in dental health, many speculate that this is due to the numerous financially challenged families and individuals; however, many dentists believe that the true culprit is Mountain Dew. The price to maintain a regular dental check up is high, but other precautions could be met to decrease the need for these visits to the dental office. If kids and adults could put down the soft drinks, particularly Mountain Dew, then there would be no need to schedule so many routine checkups. If making healthier choices seems to be the most cost effective way to reduce the price of oral hygiene, then why are so few doing it? One local oral surgeon suggests that this is caused my multiple things including low dental IQ’s, bad parenting, and the addictive nature of the drink all work cohesively to make this a hard habit to break. Many call this condition, “Mountain Dew Mouth” which is used to describe all the decay caused by this soft drink.  The American Dental Association says that 65 percent of West Virginia's children ages three through seven suffer from tooth decay. If the damage  is extensive, it is possible that the permanent teeth underneeth the already decayed teeth can begin to rot. Actions agains this blight have already begun, mobile clinics have been traveling all around the appalachian region trying to aid those suffering from this condition, but the only way this process can be permanently extinguished is by educating the youth on how dangerous it it.

-K