Chewing Gum

Often considered a form of candy, and thus immediately filed under the “terrible for your teeth” food group, chewing gum has just started to have its image rehabilitated. It is important that this trend continue, as chewing gum can be good for your teeth, if used correctly. I intend to talk a little about this sticky, gooey substance, and how it can be used.

When It’s Good For Teeth

First and foremost, sugar free gum is the way to go. Sugary gum can be bad for your teeth, but on the by and by, it will just be bad for the rest of you, as consuming sugar in and of itself is unhealthy. But even sugary gum is not necessarily bad for your teeth, as it is gooey enough that it does not get caught in your teeth, and does not corrode them. But the sugar content will cause a rise of the bacteria levels in your mouth, which will tax your enamel.

But sugar free gum does not do such things. It is safe to chew, and will not put sugar in your bloodstream, and will not feed the bacteria in your mouth either. So it is a better idea to use sugar free gum, it also tastes sweet, so no complaints there.

The good thing that gum does is that it removes food detritus and bacteria from the surface of your teeth, along with plaque, and breaks up the biofilm needed for bacteria to grow. It does this by being sticky, and things getting stuck in it. This is also why you should dispose of your gum after like 10 minutes of chewing. Gum can clean places where your ordinary toothbrush may not be able to reach, so it is indeed a good idea to chew gum from time to time.

When It’s Not Good For Teeth

If your teeth are damaged or injured your nerves may be exposed. This may make chewing gum painful, or even damaging to your teeth or nerves, or possibly even your periodontium. If you have fillings that are either really recent or really old, chewing gum maybe a bad idea. The fillings may become loose if they are too recent, as they may not have had sufficient time to bond to your enamel, whereas fillings that are too old may have lost some of the tooth around it, and thus may come out or get stuck in or become loosened from chewing gum.

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