The tooth hurts – sugary drinks ruining Aussie kid’s smiles

A hard-hitting ad campaign exposing the serious damage sugary drinks can do to your teeth has been launched around Australia.

Kicking off to the sound of a soft drink can opening, the “Thirsty” advertisment rolls through a range of young males looking at the camera before flashing their less than impressive smiles.

The campaign is delivered by the Rethink Sugary Drink initiative, compromising of 19 national, health and community organisations concerned about the excessive levels of consumption of sugary drinks in Australia.

Craig Sinclair Head of Prevention at Cancer Council Victoria said he hopes the campaign’s graphic portrayal of tooth decay will prompt young Aussies to realise sugary drinks are just not worth losing your teeth over.

“We know young Australians are hooked on sugary drinks.”

Males aged 12-24 are the biggest consumers of sugary drinks, with some consuming as much as 1.5 litres of soft drinks, sports drinks or energy drinks a day,” Mr Sinclair said.

“These drinks don’t just ruin your smile. In the long run the high levels of sugar they contain can also lead to unhealthy weight gain, which increases the risk of serious health problems such as type 2 diabetes, heart and kidney disease, stroke and 13 types of cancer.

“We know men are twice as likely as women to consume sugary drinks, so targeted hard-hitting campaigns like this are crucial if we want to end the young Aussie male’s love affair with sugary drinks.”

Obesity Policy Coalition Executive Manager Jane Martin praised the way the campaign cuts through to younger Australians.

“Thirsty ironically plays on the supposed ‘sweet’ deal sugary drink brands are selling.”

“By cutting eerily between real snaps of rotten teeth, the advertisement mocks the way big soda plays with teen image, vanity and desire when pushing young adults to buy their products,” said Ms Martin.

The campaign will run for four weeks and will be seen across digital platforms and shared widely on social media by health and community organisations.

CASE STUDY:

Since realising one can of soft drink contains up to 10 teaspoons of sugar, 20 year old James Stanley made the switch to water and is already reaping the health benefits.

“I used to drink soft drinks at school, but when I studied health science and PE I realised just how much sugar is actually in them.”

“On a typical night out I would drink mixers – whiskey with cola or ginger ale were my drinks of choice. I was drinking so much sugar without even realising it. Waking up the next day my teeth would feel gross and I knew I needed to make a change.”

“Now I try and look for healthier drink alternatives,” said Mr Stanley.