Is Chewing Gum Good for Your Teeth?
Many dentists claim that chewing gum after meals can help reduce the occurrence of cavities. The gum must of course be sugarless or instead of preventing tooth decay, it will help create it. Chewing gum acts by stimulating saliva production and neutralizing acids in the mouth that are used by bacteria to demineralise teeth and initiating tooth decay.
It is therefore recommended to chew on sugarless gum after a meal if it’s not possible to brush your teeth. Dentists advise not to chew more than 10 to 15 minutes or else, long term use of chewing gum can create jaw problems. Also, chewing gum does not replace brushing and flossing your teeth, because it does not remove dental plaque from around your teeth and your gums.
Chewing gum must therefore be used as temporary way to partially clean your teeth if you do not have access to a tooth brush or dental floss. But it should never be considered as a replacement of regular brushing and flossing.
Complete Article: Does Chewing Gum after Eating Help Removing Dental Plaque? In French: Est-ce que la gomme à mâcher aide à garder les dents en santé
Wow that helps thanks dude every kid at my school chews gum every day 247 at school litteraly
I’m glad this helped. Just want to make sure that kids at your school chew on sugarless gum.
I just found out that our school dental is sponsored by Wriggleys and they are encoraging kids to chew gum. They even gave my child a free piece of gum after he visited (which of course he chewed on until he came home from school). This seems wrong to me. Do you agree?
@ Shaun,
If Wriggleys is sugarless, then it is ok for your child to chew on it. But I wouldn’t recommend to chew on gum for hours, as over the years your child might develop TMJ (jaw) problems. Usually 10 minutes is enough.
Thanks! I realize that a lot can be done my teeth healthy. Teeth should be brushed properly and promptly after each meal.
I have a lot of crowns in my mouth,is it wise to chew gum?
If you have temporary crowns made out of acrylic (plastic), it is not recommended to chew gum because it will stick on the acrylic. But temporary crowns are usually worn for a few weeks only until you get your permanent crowns.
As for regular permanent crowns, which are mostly made out of gold or porcelain, it is ok to chew gum.