Is Gum Good for Your Teeth?

Many people enjoy chewing gum and use it as a stress reliever and diet tactic. But is chewing gum healthy for your teeth? Chewing sugary gum can harm your oral health. The sugar feeds acid-causing bacteria in the mouth and helps them create plaque that causes tooth decay. But dentists recommend their patients to chew a sugar-free chewing gum after meals. And among sugar-free gums, those that are sweetened with xylitol are the most recommended. Below are some of the key benefits of chewing sugar-free xylitol gum.

1. Increased Saliva Production

Saliva keeps our mouths moist and makes it easier to chew, taste, and swallow food. A healthy production of saliva also protects our mouth from plaque-causing bacteria as saliva has an alkaline pH that kills harmful bacteria. Without saliva, we develop a dry mouth that feels uncomfortable and makes it easier for harmful, acid-producing bacteria to multiply. One benefit of chewing sugar-free gum is that it helps increase the production of saliva and relieve the symptoms of dry mouth.

2. Clean Teeth

It is good practice to brush our teeth after every meal, but it’s not always practical. If you have a meal away from home, you may not have a toothbrush and toothpaste handy. In such cases chewing sugar-free gum can help clean your teeth and remove stuck food particles. In the long run, the practice of chewing gum after meals could prevent cavities and tooth decay

3. Less Plaque Buildup

Researchers have found that gums that contain xylitol help reduce the amount of plaque-causing bacteria in the mouth. Xylitol is a natural sweetener without any nutritional benefits. So, when we chew xylitol gum, the bacteria in the mouth feed on the xylitol but don’t get any nutritional benefits from it. So, the bacteria end up starving to death without creating plaque. Xylitol also can increase the pH in the mouth hence reducing the tooth decaying effects of an acidic mouth.

4. Freshen Breath

Sugar-free gum often has a minty flavor that freshens your breath for a short period after chewing it. In case you have eaten a pungent meal the gum can help mask the spicy smell on your breath. The antibacterial properties of some gums can also kill the bad odor-causing bacteria in our mouths. This can temporarily stop bad breath.

5. Whiten Teeth

Some types of chewing gum have teeth whitening properties. When you chew them, they remove food particles covering the teeth and increase saliva flow to wash the food away. The gum also coats the surface of the teeth with a whitening compound that removes surface stains caused by food. The whitening coat also prevents future staining and helps reduce the teeth’ sensitivity.

6. Stress Reduction

Many people chew gum to relieve stress and anxiety. Scientists have found that people that chew gum reported feeling less stressed than those that didn’t. The act of chewing gum is enjoyable and relaxing and can also help calm OCD tendencies.

Final Word on Whether Gum is Good for Your Teeth

Human beings gave been chewing gum for centuries as it’s a great way to clean the mouth and increase saliva production. Chewing gum is also enjoyable and relaxing so many people use it as a stress reliever. But one must be careful about the type of gum that they chew. Gums containing sugar can contribute to plaque and tooth decay. Also, while sugar-free xylitol gum has many benefits for the teeth, it can’t be a replacement for proper oral hygiene. We must still brush and floss our teeth daily.