Everyone knows that sugary foods and drinks aren’t healthy for us and that we should limit our intake of them.

An often overlooked downside to sugary foods and drinks is that they cause tooth decay. Now, more than ever, pediatric dentists are seeing a lot of young children experiencing premature tooth decay due to sugary diets.

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It’s so bad that according to stats released by the CDC, 42% of children aged 2 to 11 had one or more cavities in their baby teeth! And it’s bad for permanent teeth too, with 21 percent of children aged 6 to 11 having had a cavity in their permanent teeth!

It’s getting so severe that according to The New York Times, dentists were recommending the use of general anesthesia to help kids sit through their long dental procedures for all of their fillings! If you thought going to the dentist as a child was bad, just imagine getting a bunch of fillings every time!

In New Zealand, a mother made a huge mistake when she gave her 3-year-old soda.

The teeth decay was so severe that Dr. Robert Beaglehole had to remove 11 of the boy’s teeth. Ouch! It’s hard to imagine this poor boy is going to be a fan of the dentist growing up.

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Sadly, it isn’t an isolated incident. Dr. Robert Beaglehole pulled almost 60 teeth from children in a single year!

Along with The New Zealand Dental associated, Dr. Beaglehole tells parents they should limit what their children drink to water and and milk only.

The problem is bigger than just New Zealand as children around the world are suffering tooth decay from too many sugary foods and drinks.

The Vermont Dentistry blames the rise of tooth decay in children due to availability of sugary drinks and snacks in schools and homes.

Sugar laden soft drinks and snacks are available for consumption everywhere that children gather. Schools allow the presence of commercial candy and pop vending machines, as do after school activity venues, and many middle and upper class homes keep a handy supply in their refrigerators and cupboards to satisfy their child’s sweet tooth.

It is getting so bad that in Appalachia, an area that stretches from southern New York all the way down to Alabama, a trend is emerging called “Mountain Dew Mouth”. Children are exposed to soft drinks like Mountain Dew so often that they consume it regularly, which results in the area’s very high rate of tooth decay.

Dentists have even heard horror stories of families putting soda in baby bottles, such as the above case.

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Experts and dentists agree: It is important for parents to enforce a regiment of daily brushing, flossing and regular dentist check ups to catch cavities fast.

Perhaps the solution could be as simple as drinking sugar-free drinks? Well not exactly, as you will see in the video below “sugar-free” doesn’t mean that is good for your teeth.

What do you think? Do you give your children sugary drinks and snacks? Have you heard of “Mountain Dew Mouth” before? Tell us below!

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