Chewing gums are enjoyed by millions of Americans people all over the world every day. Many of these individuals are familiar with the science and research behind this gum. They maintain that chewing gum is harmful to teeth in many instances. People still chew it because they accept a certain amount of risk in their lives and have enjoyed it for decades. The research is not absolutely set on chewing gum being particularly damaging or harmful. Instead, there are many ways in which it is actually beneficial to teeth to chew gum.
Is it safe?
The primary reason why many people believe it is not safe for teeth to chew gum is because of the sugar content of gum. Many individuals are familiar with the fact that sugar helps lead to the growth of bacteria that cause tooth decay. They know that tooth decay results in cavities and gum diseases such as gingivitis. Therefore, they have been taught all of her life to avoid sugar. They are wary of any food that is primarily known for its sugar content.
But these individuals need to think clearly about the actual sugar content of chewing gum. Chewing gum is certainly advertised as a particularly sweet food. It is sometimes packaged and sold with flavors that are reminiscent of foods that are high in sugar content. But in reality, chewing gum does not have much sugar in it at all. The sugar content is relatively minimal and is quickly absorbed by saliva. A piece of gum often has only a few calories and its flavor lasts for just a few minutes as a result.
What makes gum safe?
In some ways, sugar is almost never good for teeth. But there are many reasons why individuals should be chewing gum. The primary reason to chew gum is because of the movement in the mouth caused by the chewing of the gum. Chewing gum causes the mouth to move and produce a considerable amount of saliva. More saliva means that an individual is less at risk for dry mouth and the consequent bacteria production associated with that condition. There are also a number of benefits to simply having more saliva in the mouth.
Saliva has certain antibacterial properties. It is a beneficial human fluid that is full of enzymes that help break down food and other substances. Breaking down food is another beneficial reason to have more saliva in the mouth. One of the most common ways that bacteria attacks teeth is through leftover food that was missed through brushing or flossing. This leftover food serves as a food source for bacteria and is used to help the bacteria grow and eventually attack teeth.
According to Frank Roach dentist, leftover food serves as a starter for bacterial culture that can cause tooth decay in a wide variety of tooth problems. More saliva means that there is a greater chance that the saliva will wash away any of the leftover food from a person’s meal. This substance attacks the sources of tooth decay in a wide variety of ways.
These benefits are considerably increased when an individual is chewing sugar-free gum. Many types of sugar-free gum are sold with flavors such as strawberry, vanilla, or even elaborate desserts. Individuals can get sugar-free gum in practically every flavor that they can get regular gum in. As Frank Roach dentist notes, sugar-free gum is not a diet gum that no individual would want to voluntarily chew. Instead, it is full of artificial sweeteners such as aspartame or saccharine. These sweeteners provide much of the flavor of traditional gum without the sugar. There are also forms of sugar-free gum that are particularly tailored to individuals who want to help out their teeth. They have been studied and signed off on by dentists in many cases.
Conclusion
Anyone who enjoys chewing gum and is worried about any negative effects from that gum should switch to sugar-free gum. This gum can be enjoyed without any of the possible negative side effects of traditional gum. While traditional gum only has a minuscule number of calories, an individual may want to just reduce their sugar consumption as much as possible. In that case, it is certainly an option to chew sugar-free gum in order to enjoy the taste of gum and also improve the health of their teeth.
