Do The Dew…Actually Don’t

For any people in Knoxville, Weigles and Pilot are essential stops to fuel up on the way to work. The black gold from the pumps isn’t the fuel people are in search of, instead it’s the rocket fuel inside that most people are after. While a warm cup of bean juice is most peoples caffeine infusion  of choice, more and more people are opting to “Do the Dew”. The old guard breakfast of a bowl of Wheaties and a cuppa joe has been replaced by a bottle of Dew and a breakfast burrito from Taco Bell. This substitution cannot possibly be associated with the declining health of our nation…right?

When you get your 6 month dental cleaning what is the take home message given by the dentist? You’re probably told to eat/drink less sugar and to floss more often. This is because sugar/carbohydrate consumption is one of the biggest problem facing dentistry. Soda, sticky candy, processed carbs are all detrimental to your dental health. Drinks such as Mountian Dew pack an potent 1-2 punch. We will focus on Mountain Dew but it is all bad. For starters, Mountain Dew has 17 tsp of sugar in each bottle. What does that look like you wonder…

Along with the massive amount of sugar, Mountain Dew is very acidic. It is typically measured at a pH of 3.0. For a comparison, acid rain is typically measured at a pH of 4.0.

Let’s interject with the history of Mountain Dew:

A quick Wikipedia search reveals an interesting history on Mountain Dew. Tennessee bottlers Barney and Ally Hartman developed Mountain Dew as a mixer. Soft drinks were regional in the 1930s, and the Hartmans had difficulty in Knoxville obtaining their preferred soda to mix with liquor, preferably whiskey, so the two men developed their own. They subsequently made a deal to bottle Mountain Dew by the Tri-Cities Beverage Corporation in Johnson City, TN. The Tip Corporation of Marion, Virginia bought the rights to Mountain Dew, revising the flavor and launching it in 1961. In 1964, Pepsico purchased the Tip Corporation and thus acquired the rights to Mountain Dew. 

Now that you know the history of Mountain Dew and its local ties to Knoxville, let’s look at a popularity map borrowed from Huffington Post. Evidently the folks in Kentucky love to Do The Dew and it makes sense that so many of them are toothless.

There is nothing beneficial about soda. It is not healthy, provides no nutrients and wreaks havoc on your body. Sugar-free drinks such a water or unsweet tea are much better for your teeth. If you must drink a soda, try to brush and floss soon after. You don’t want that sugar just sitting on your teeth waiting for the cavities to form in your teeth. Floss is essential to clean your teeth effectively. Most people get cavities in the spaces between their teeth. A toothbrush cannot clean the sugar off your teeth in this area. The only way to remove the sugar and bacteria is floss.

It seems like everyone is obese, everyone has cancer or some other disease and people are getting sick at an alarming rate. Should we blame soda? Should we copy NYC and outlaw beverages? We are all free humans, capable to make decisions. Hopefully this post will help people make informed decisions about their lifestyle choice. If you must Do The Dew, please brush/floss ASAP…or at least lie to your dentist and say that you do.