Does chewing gum help or harm teeth?

[Marcos]

I chewed gum for the first time in 7 years the other night, i havent kept up with the massive advancements in chewing gum technology since . Last i remember, the sugar in gum did harm.

So how does it stand now? Does chewing gum help or harm teeth/gums etc? Does anyone here chew gum simply for healthier teeth??

[MadduckUK]

its got all xylitol and is sugar free nowadays is it not? (stuff like orbit anyway)

[Salazaar]

It causes you to produce extra saliva which IIRC is a good thing.

[dave87]

I dunno, I brush my teeth to look after them.

Gum is merely a way of ensuring freshness of breath and a nice minty taste

[Fraz]

Suger-free gum = good

Other stuff = bad

Rocket science it's not.

[Marcos]

Originally Posted by Fraz

Suger-free gum = good

Other stuff = bad

Rocket science it's not.

i dunno, i thought maybe excessive chewing could do harm too, or excessively chewing on anything could wear quicker

[Sinizter]

Sugar free gum with xylitol can be helpful. Increased saliva production is helpful with remineralisng the enamel. Xylitol is also supposed to retard bacterial growth.

Chewing gum with sugar is not helpful and is almost the same as having other sugary foods - promotes caries.

Excesseive chewing of gum can lead overdevelopment of the masticatory muscles - not in itself too bad. But if you also grind at night, it wont be comfortable and may even possibly cause TMJ disorders. Just grinding at night can lead to the same problems as well ...

There wont be that much more wear on teeth chewing gum as the teeth wont meet each other when the gum is in between and being chewed. But if the teeth on the other side meet, there will be wear - but that is subjective to how to chew your gum.

[r_j_k_p]

whoa guys hold the phone!
lets ask the expert here..... a 2nd year dental student (me)

Chewing gum overall helps for oral hygiene cos:

1, It promotes saliva production and this helps the teeth because saliva contains lots of minerals and antibacterial, and these promote remineralisation of teeth.
saliva also contains bicarbonate ions which buffer the acid produced by plaque acids and so also stops dental caries.

2, It is good if the sweetener in it is non-metabolisable as this means that the nasty bacteria in your plaque cant metabolise the sugar to form acid, and so less chance of dental caries.


thats all i can think of atm, but im sure excessive chewing doesn't harm the teeth. There is something similar where people grind teeth in their sleep (bruxism) but that isnt the same .

Hope that helps

[r_j_k_p]

damn beaten by sinizter

[SiM]

you guys should watch the adverts... it tells you everything you need to know...

1 in 4 dentists* recommend that you chew extra gum!

*statistic might be completely made up

[Marcos]

Originally Posted by r_j_k_p

whoa guys hold the phone!
lets ask the expert here..... a 2nd year dental student (me)

Chewing gum overall helps for oral hygiene cos:

1, It promotes saliva production and this helps the teeth because saliva contains lots of minerals and antibacterial, and these promote remineralisation of teeth.
saliva also contains bicarbonate ions which buffer the acid produced by plaque acids and so also stops dental caries.

2, It is good if the sweetener in it is non-metabolisable as this means that the nasty bacteria in your plaque cant metabolise the sugar to form acid, and so less chance of dental caries.


thats all i can think of atm, but im sure excessive chewing doesn't harm the teeth. There is something similar where people grind teeth in their sleep (bruxism) but that isnt the same .

Hope that helps

What brand chewing gum do you use?

[Sinizter]

Originally Posted by Marcos

What brand chewing gum do you use?

I dont chew gum. Occasionally pop Smints.

Popcorn is good for the gums btw - massages them. As long as its not sweet and you dont overdo it.

[r_j_k_p]

i think marcos was speaking to me

i use extra spearmint cos it tastes nice and my gf buys a big tub of it and i steal it.

[zulander]

Doesnt one of the sweetners in chewing gum act as a mild laxative if taken in massive amounts

[Marcos]

Originally Posted by r_j_k_p

i think marcos was speaking to me

i use extra spearmint cos it tastes nice and my gf buys a big tub of it and i steal it.

I take it that the one you mentioned is one of the good sugar-free gums?

[Sinizter]

Originally Posted by zulander

Doesnt one of the sweetners in chewing gum act as a mild laxative if taken in massive amounts

All artificial sweeteners do. But the common one is Xylitol - and yes it does.