Effects of Chewing Gum on Your Teeth
IS CHEWING GUM GOOD FOR YOUR TEETH?
The answer is yes if it is the right kind. Chewing gum can help prevent tooth decay, as long as you choose sugarless gum. Chewing gum causes your mouth to produce more saliva, which helps neutralize and rinse away some of the acids that form in your mouth when you break down food. So, if you chew gum after a meal, you may be helping to protect your teeth and promote oral health. Also, the minerals generated by the extra saliva can even help strengthen your tooth enamel, which also reduces your risk of a dental cavity.
IS SUGAR-FREE GUM BAD FOR YOUR TEETH?
Parents can share this oral care hint with children and teens, who often chew gum. Just be sure that they choose sugarless gum, not a sugary bubble gum, which can have the opposite effect and contribute to the buildup of plaque on teeth. So, if you are uncertain about which gum is best for promoting oral health, look for a sugarless gum for yourself or your family members. But remember (and remind children) that gum-chewing, even sugarless gum, is not a substitute for a regular oral care routine of twice-daily tooth brushing and daily proper flossing with quality dental care products.
More Dental Articles
Endodontics: Can Tooth Pulp Be Made Healthier?
We live at a time when we are discovering new vistas of knowledge and understanding, especially on the biological front. Endodontics: the branch of dentistry concerned with diseases and injuries of the soft tissues inside a tooth (the dental pulp) is a perfect example...
Special Needs Dentists: Dr Trudy Lin: Young Australian of the Year 2022 SA Candidate
In a country of more than 18,000 dentists, only fifteen are registered professionals in the area of Special Needs. Dr Trudy Lin is the…
Can You Stop a Cavity Getting Worse?
You may not know what the bacterium Streptococcus mutans is, but you know what a cavity is. Also known as caries in both the singular and plural, they’re tiny holes in the teeth caused by surface bacteria creating acid from sugars. Somehow my brain interposes...
Can Toothache cause Migraine and Why?
Question: Can Toothache cause Migraine? Indeed it can. Almost all headaches and toothaches are detected by the trigeminal nerve, one of the largest nerves in the head. It’s this connection that causes the direct relationship between toothache and migraine,...
