Don’t Quit Chewing; Sugar-Free Gum Is Good For Your Teeth! There are so many things you can put in your mouth that are bad for your teeth: tobacco, airheads, fire crackers. For those of us who never quite got over the loss of our pacifier, we need something to chew on throughout the day. Why not chew on something that tastes good and is good for your teeth as well? If you’re an avid gum chewer, then you may have gotten mixed messages throughout the years about whether it’s good for your teeth or not. Maybe your mom said you were going to get cavities if you chewed gum all day. Maybe your buddy said if you chew gum you don’t even have to brush your teeth. Well, gum doesn’t always give you cavities, and you’re still going to have to brush and floss every day. If you’re looking for a way to combine good oral health with chewing gum, here’s the trick: only chew sugar-free gum.
Get the saliva flowing Chewing sugar-free gum is good for your mouth because it gets your saliva flowing. In fact, when you chew gum your mouth produces 10 times the amount of saliva than it normally would. That’s because the act of chewing and the pleasant taste of the sugar-free gum tricks your mouth into thinking its eating regular food, which requires a lot of saliva. So why is saliva good for your teeth? It helps to rinse out any food particles that might be lodged in your teeth. Those food particles start growing bacteria over time, which turns into plaque and eventually gum disease. Saliva also helps neutralize your mouth’s acidity. Bacteria can make your mouth acidic, which will eat away at your tooth enamel. Mixing in a bunch of spit will water down the acidity level, and the perfect equation for getting more spit in your mouth is sugar-free gum.
Get Added Benefits When You Chew Gum With Added Xylitol Some brands of sugar-free gum have Xylitol added, which helps stop the growth of Streptococcus mutans, a type of bacteria that contributes to cavities. Xylitol actually keeps the bacteria from clinging onto your teeth, and if you chew gum with xylitol over a period of time you will have less cavitycausing bacteria floating around in your mouth.
It Has To Be Sugar-Free Your mom was right about sugar being bad for your teeth. Sugar has a way of clinging to your teeth and turning into plaque. If you chew sugar-free gum, you’re leaving sugar out of the equation.
But if you thought you could stop flossing and brushing, then you’d be sadly mistaken. There isn’t a dentist on the planet who would recommend replacing a tooth brush with a stick of gum. Basically, chewing sugar-free gum can help contribute to a healthier mouth, but you’re still going to have to cover the basics, like brushing, flossing, and getting your teeth cleaned regularly at the dentist’s office. For an excellent dentist in Cherry Hill, NJ, call the office of Dr. Paul Grussenmeyer and set up an appointment today! Photo Credit: ctechs , peeturr