Is Popping Your Gum Helping Your Teeth?
Surprisingly enough, chewing bubblegum is actually good for your teeth. Despite what you may think, chewing gum can trick your salivary glands to produce more saliva than usual. Because of this, your pearly whites get a proper wash down and can get rid of some of the lingering substances on your teeth.
In this blog, we will be discussing the positive and negative aspects of chewing gum and its effects on your teeth. By learning how exactly chewing gum could benefit your smile, you can take action to care for your teeth in better, healthier ways.
To Chew Sugar-Free Gum, or Not to Chew Sugar-Free Gum?
That’s the question! An important distinction between whether gum helps or hinders your smile is how much sugar is in each stick. For example, sugar-free gum has many more dental benefits than sticks with that have a high sugar content. For example, with sugary gum, you are taking sugar off your teeth, only to replace it with more sugar from your gum. Sugar-free gum, though not a crowd favorite, actually has more benefits to your smile and helps clear your teeth of excess sugar left behind from your drinks or meals.
So, if you are faced with the decision to buy sugar-free gum, is it a far better option than traditional types of gum.
Gum Good for Your Gums?
Now that you know what type of gum to depend on, it is time to know what it does and why it is good for your teeth! Gum, as stated in our first paragraph, triggers your salivary glands. This is our body’s natural way of digesting our food. Not only can saliva be a useful solution to break down your food, but it also helps move your food from your mouth down to your stomach. Because gum naturally allows extra salivation to happen, there is more saliva in your mouth when you are chewing. This can be beneficial to your teeth, especially after you have eaten a big meal, or even a sugary drink. Saliva can break down your food, but it can also wash away any sugars or food substances on your teeth.
Sugar molecules and starches are notoriously bad for your teeth. Once they adhere to your teeth, they can easily erode your teeth and damage your gums. If the health of your gums is compromised, you may fall victim to any manner of dental issues. For one, weak gums can lead to diseases, infections, and even loose teeth! To ensure that your teeth are healthy, brushing and flossing are highly recommended. Also, chewing gum can be a useful habit to help remove excess items from your smile.
Preventing Cavities
Gum can naturally wash away particles of food and sugar that are left over from your diet. This particularly is beneficial to the health of your smile because it can lower your risk of cavities. Sugar notoriously adheres to your teeth and begins to dig into the grooves of your teeth. Any marks or tunneling inside your teeth eventually leads to cavities. If your cavities are not discovered or addressed, the small bits of damage your smile undergoes could get progressively worse. In fact, when sugar particles are left in your mouth, they develop into dental acid. When this acid gets deep enough into your tooth, it can access your dental nerves and even your jaw bone. This then will mean you will have to go into your local dentist for a root canal treatment — something most don’t volunteer for.
It is best to use preventative practices in order to maintain your teeth. It is better to prevent dental issues instead of waiting until your teeth are past the point of no return. More importantly, waiting until your teeth are rotted will typically mean that you will feel pain or discomfort. Preventative methods, yes, such as brushing your teeth, can help clear your teeth and ensure they don’t develop extensive damage.
Improving Your Breath
Of course, everyone knows that gum can help your breath. But, if you have eaten a large meal, gum can actually help settle your stomach and cleanse your tongue and mouth of bad odor. It can be obvious why a breath freshener can be beneficial. After all, who likes bad breath?
Silver Spring Dentistry
Though chewing gum can be helpful to your teeth, you should never use it as your only dental hygiene method. Traditional toothbrushes and floss are the best ways to ensure that your smile is well protected.
If you are at all curious about your current dental health, our dentists are happy to take on new patients. With our expertise, we can perform inspections and routine checkups to ensure that your pearly whites are perfectly healthy. Aside from this, we can also locate problem areas and demonstrate how you can take better care of your teeth.
