School kids, teenagers, smokers, sweet-tooths, and grandparents: almost everyone has enjoyed a piece of gum at least once for one reason or another. Some brands of gum are sweet like candy, while others provide the clean feeling of a wintergreen rush. When it comes to general dental services and oral health, the answer from dentists may come as a surprise.
At Wambaugh Dental, we can handle all your dental needs and help you find your smile. Call us today at 844.508.1034.
Chewing Gum and Teeth
The American Dental Association (ADA) has a very clear stance when it comes to the health of teeth while chewing gum. They support it, with one single caveat to consider: the gum must be sugarless. Sugarless gum, when chewed between meals or directly after meals, has a huge connection to dental health. Along with regular, twice-daily brushing and once-a-day flossing, chewing sugarless gum improves the mouth’s overall health in many positive, healthy ways. For example, chewing gum can stimulate the flow of saliva in the mouth which:
- Neutralizes acids in the mouth created by food that’s been broken down
- Rinses away acid, food particles, and plaque
- Generates minerals that can naturally strengthen enamel
Dentists and oral hygienists support these advantageous benefits of chewing gum, and the ADA has a seal of approval for specific, sugarless gum. To receive the seal, the gum is required to, along with other strict requirements, use less than 0.5 g of sugars per serving and replace it with other non-sugar sweeteners such as:
- Stevia
- Aspartame
- Sucralose
- Acesulfame-K
- Neotame
- Saccharin
Sugar alcohols like xylitol, sorbitol, erythritol, isomalt, maltitol, and mannitol are also used to sweeten sugarless gum while still being non-cariogenic. This means that they don’t cause tooth decay; the lack of sugar essentially starves the bacteria in the mouth, so it doesn’t multiply, causing damage to the surface of the teeth.
Chewing Gum and Overall Health
Chewing gum has other positive side effects that help more than just the health of the teeth and mouth, though. Research has shown that chewing gum had an impact on many different kinds of medical procedures and health choices, such as:
- Increased blood flow – Like any workout, when someone chews, the muscles in the jaw are being worked. Blood flow in a healthy body is beneficial to organs, bones, and the brain by providing oxygen to the tissue.
- Medication/Active ingredient delivery system – One example is nicotine gum. Using it for the cessation of smoking has been recorded as highly successful since its introduction to the over-the-counter (OTC) market. Pain-relieving medication such as ibuprofen can also be found OTC and received via chewing gum. Caffeine is one more common chemical that can be transferred by chewing gum with several options on the market for everyday consumption.
- Surgical recovery – With surgeries involving gynecologic, gastrointestinal, colorectal, and urological procedures, post-surgical movement of intestinal content increased with the chewing of gum compared to none.
- Treating xerostomia (dry mouth) in cancer patients – Dry mouth is common amongst those who undergo chemotherapy or radiotherapy to fight cancer.
Sugarless Chewing Gum is Wambaugh Dental Approved
In addition to overall mental and physical health, dental health is an active goal that can be worked towards over the course of the whole day and between meals, not just at the start and end with a toothbrush and floss. The body is made to protect itself in one way or another, whether it’s the immune system or rosy cheeks in the snow; the mouth is no exception to this rule. Sugarless gum remains healthy for consumers and provides positive benefits to dental health.
Call Wambaugh Dentistry at 844.508.1034 to make an appointment or contact us online.
