Use of chewing gum for cleaner and healthier teeth!

Chewing gums has been known to everybody as a sweet candy-like edible product which can only be chewed upon for some time and then be thrown away afterwards. Initially, it is like a hard candy but after you start chewing it becomes softer and simultaneously there is release of its sweet content which gradually fades away. It is soft, non-sticky, and cohesive (opposite of adhesive) in nature. In the mouth when being chewed upon in the presence of saliva, it does not stick to teeth and gums anywhere in the mouth. Rather it helps in pushing away the food debris stuck between the teeth. This property of chewing gum makes it helpful in cleaning teeth.

Many patients say they brush every day but still get cavities. While answering to it I always explain them that the food stuck between the teeth after every meal causes maximum destruction to teeth. Thus it is very important to remove this food after every meal. So that your mouth can have least amount of bacterial activity during the time you are not going to eat anything after every meal. Patients say they may rinse with water or have a sip of water after food so that may dislodge the stuck food. But I say that may not be enough.

The best method is to brush your teeth after every meal but that is not practically possible. But it is always possible to use a chewing gum after meal. Clinical studies have shown that chewing gum for 20 minutes following meals can help prevent tooth decay as chewing on gum dislodges almost all the debris in the month. If it looks difficult for all meals, then use it at least once after lunch. So this is as good as brushing your teeth.

Chewing gum also helps to produce more saliva in the mouth; hence it helps to bring the goodness of saliva more to the teeth. Thus it will keep your teeth and gums healthy. More fresh saliva in mouth helps to neutralize acids in mouth and hence prevent caries.

More to it, chewing gum also reduces the quantity and development of plaque, relieves the symptoms of dry mouth, demineralizes tooth enamel, and therefore may help reduce the incidence of tooth decay.

I have been talking too much about the goodness of chewing gum, but if you are using chewing gums which have more sugar content may also adversely affect your oral health. That is why it is always advised to use sugar free chewing gums. A lot of sugar free gums are available in the market, like Happydent, Trident, Wrigley's orbit, etc. You can go for any of them. If you know about some better sugar-free chewing gum then do mention in comment box so that other readers can also use them. Apart from this other adverse effect of chewing gum can be TMJ problems or muscle fatigue due to overuse of the jaw muscles. But these problems can be evicted by avoiding overuse of chewing gums.

Now it has been very well understood that maintaining continued oral hygiene care is very much necessary to maintain oral health and chewing gum is an easy and effective way to increase saliva flow and remove bacteria from the mouth. As with all recommendations, it is important to assess any risk that chewing gum may pose, otherwise it is always recommended for reducing majority of dental problems. For more information on this,  readers may contact the author at the contacts mentioned below.

Dr. Arun Bhatia

Arun Dental Clinic

5J/19, NIT Faridabad

Phone: 9899907997

Email: drarunbhbatia@gmail.com

Website: www.arundentalclinic.in

Facebook page: @arundentalclinic.in