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Thread: Does chewing gum help or harm teeth?

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    Gold Member Marcos's Avatar
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    Does chewing gum help or harm teeth?

    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??

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    WEEEEEEEEEEEEE! MadduckUK's Avatar
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    Re: Does chewing gum help or harm teeth?

    its got all xylitol and is sugar free nowadays is it not? (stuff like orbit anyway)
    Quote Originally Posted by Ephesians
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    Welcome to stampytown! Salazaar's Avatar
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    Re: Does chewing gum help or harm teeth?

    It causes you to produce extra saliva which IIRC is a good thing.
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    Re: Does chewing gum help or harm teeth?

    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

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    Get in the van. Fraz's Avatar
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    Re: Does chewing gum help or harm teeth?

    Suger-free gum = good

    Other stuff = bad

    Rocket science it's not.

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    Gold Member Marcos's Avatar
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    Re: Does chewing gum help or harm teeth?

    Quote Originally Posted by Fraz View Post
    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

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    Re: Does chewing gum help or harm teeth?

    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.
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    Senior Member r_j_k_p's Avatar
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    Re: Does chewing gum help or harm teeth?

    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

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    Senior Member r_j_k_p's Avatar
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    Re: Does chewing gum help or harm teeth?

    damn beaten by sinizter

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    Re: Does chewing gum help or harm teeth?

    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

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    Re: Does chewing gum help or harm teeth?

    Quote Originally Posted by r_j_k_p View Post
    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?

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    Re: Does chewing gum help or harm teeth?

    Quote Originally Posted by Marcos View Post
    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.
    All Hail the AACS : 09 F9 11 02 9D 74 E3 5B D8 41 56 C5 63 56 88 C0

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    Re: Does chewing gum help or harm teeth?

    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.

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    Re: Does chewing gum help or harm teeth?

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

    Permanently confused

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    Gold Member Marcos's Avatar
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    Re: Does chewing gum help or harm teeth?

    Quote Originally Posted by r_j_k_p View Post
    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?

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    Re: Does chewing gum help or harm teeth?

    Quote Originally Posted by zulander View Post
    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.
    All Hail the AACS : 09 F9 11 02 9D 74 E3 5B D8 41 56 C5 63 56 88 C0

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