If you are in the habit of chewing sugarless gum on a regular basis, you will be happy to know that this can have a positive effect on your oral health. It is a simple way to give your oral health a little boost. If you don’t typically chew gum, your dentist in Durham may recommend you picking up a pack.
Chewing sugar free gum increases the flow of saliva in your mouth. Your saliva washes away acids, sugars, and food debris in your mouth. This helps in preventing tooth decay and cavities because saliva keeps your mouth clean. The flow of saliva can help to strengthen your tooth enamel and helping you to maintain strong, beautiful teeth. We use saliva to eat more easily, to taste our food and to disinfect our mouths. Saliva also protects our oral tissues against ulcers, mouth sores and other effects of friction. Saliva flow neutralizes acids and helps to provide antibodies against any bacteria. Your dentist may recommend chewing gum right after you eat for about 20 minutes to best fight off cavities caused by food consumption.
Chewing sugar free gum has aesthetic benefits, as well. It can ward off bad breath and brighten your smile. By washing away the food debris that may have remained in your mouth from your last meal, chewing gum rids your mouth of any lingering odors. Additionally, it prevents the acids and debris in your mouth from staining your teeth, leading to a healthier, whiter smile. Chewing sugar free gum after every food intake also helps to clear away harmful bacteria.
Not only does chewing sugarless gum protect your teeth, but it can also help your gums. Chewing gum reduces plaque build-up, which is a way to prevent gingivitis and periodontal disease. Although this is not a cure to gum disease, chewing gum is a helpful way to supplement your oral hygiene in between visits to your dentist in Durham.
In order to maximize the benefits of chewing sugar free gum, your dentist may recommend that you look for sugar-free gum, specifically gum that has been sweetened with xylitol. Xylitol prevents harmful bacteria from lingering in your mouth, reducing your risk for cavities. With xylitol use over a period of time, there will be fewer decay-causing bacteria surviving on your teeth. Additionally, xylitol can help to repair damage to the enamel, which helps to strengthen your smile.
Even though chewing sugar free gum is beneficial to your oral health, you should not chew gum if you experience any type of jaw pain or temporomandibular disorder symptoms (TMD/TMJ). Talk to your dentist about what other options are available for you.
For most people, chewing sugar free gum is a good preventative measure when you cannot brush or floss your teeth during the day. Although chewing gum can be beneficial to your oral health, it is still very important to continue to floss daily and brush twice a day, once in the morning when you wake up and once at night before you go to bed. Chewing sugar free gum should serve as a complement to maintaining good oral health and not a substitute.
