“It is preposterous to blame soft drinks or any one food for poor dental health.” They argued that the problem could be “sticky foods like raisins.” “This is old, irresponsible news,” they said. After hearing criticism from dentists, Pepsi-makers of Mountain Dew-issued a response. Edwin Smith, who had purchased a mobile dental clinic and was treating the teeth of young children addicted to the beverage. The program profiled a dentist in Kentucky, Dr. It turns out that a 20-ounce bottle of Mountain Dew contains 19 teaspoons of sugar and 93 milligrams of caffeine-the same amount as an adult tablet of No Doz-along with very high levels of acid that dissolve the tooth’s enamel at a much higher rate than typical colas. Months after returning from Alabama, I watched an ABC news special about a phenomenon that dentists in Appalachia describe as “Mountain Dew mouth”: the loss of teeth due to regular consumption of the soda. His choice was, of course, Diet Mountain Dew. Diego, a Guatemalan coworker, was one of the only people I saw who drank diet soda. He replied that he made sure to piss at the end of each break so he never had a problem with having to go during work (not exactly what I was getting at, anyway). I gently suggested that perhaps he was drinking too much soda. One night, his face drenched in sweat, Ben gulped down three Mountain Dews in less than five minutes. He often finished off two or three sodas each break with a quick tip of the can.

Another coworker, who I call Big Ben, could drink seven sodas during a shift. This guy would have felt right at home:Įspecially crazy was how much of the beverage folks consumed. I’m not exaggerating for effect the loyalty was cult-like. Around town, if someone had a soda in hand, it was invariably a Mountain Dew. But few people were interested in anything but Mountain Dew. They offered various options: Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, Dr. At the plant, next to dispensers of every sort of pain killer you might need to survive the job, were the soda machines. During any 24-hour period, he consumed at least six.Īt first I thought it was just his little quirk, but soon learned that everyone drank Mountain Dew. Each night when he picked me up for work, Kyle was gulping down a can. I noticed early on that Kyle really liked Mountain Dew. One of my best friends in Alabama was a guy who I call Kyle (all the names or workers and supervisors in the book have been changed).

Mountain dew mouth kids