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Introduction

More and more people are using chewing gums. The reasons they give for chewing gum range from reducing bad oral odor, to a way of releasing tension or anxiety. However, the real effects of chewing gum on teeth have been researched, and found to be very different from what most people think.

Chewing gums usually contain sweeteners. The sweeteners can be made of “good” sugars or the “bad” cavity-producing sugars. The good anti-cavity sugars include xylitol, sorbitol, lactitol, mannitol, and hydrogenated glucose syrup. These good sugars are used in diabetic drinks too. They only make the foods sweet but do not have the negative effects of the bad sugars. The bad sugars can also be used in chewing gums; these include glucose and sucrose. These bad sugars produce dental cavities.

 

The bad sugars

The bad sugars are fermented by bacteria after a period of time in contact the with teeth, to produce acids. It is these acids that cause tooth decay by eating away the tooth materials. The cavities may progress to the pulp of the tooth to cause toothache or even infection.

 

The bad sugars can also be used by bacteria to cause plaque, which is responsible for gum disease. In gum disease, the bacteria cause damage to the soft gums, causing bleeding when brushing or eating, and recession of the gums. Since most chewing gums are made with these bad sugars, dentists recommend the use of sugar-free gums without these bad sugars.

 

The good sugars

The good sugars, as mentioned above, are also used in chewing gums. These chewing gums are usually referred to as sugar-free chewing gums. They are better than the routine chewing gums in maintaining  good oral hygiene. In fact, when these sugars are used in chewing gums they have the following beneficial effects:

 

  1.         They can help remove bad odors
  1. They increase the amount of saliva production in the mouth. The saliva has many beneficial effects to the oral environment, which include the washing away of food debris, increased defence against development of cavities, and increased rates of healing of wounds that may form in the mouth.
  1. It has been suggested that chewing has some psychological effects like reduction in stress, improved brain activity, and alertness. It is also implicated in weight management as it is reported to improve weight loss.

 

So to sum up, it is important to say that chewing gum may be beneficial, as long as you are sure to use the sugar-free variety.
Contact a dentist or dental hygienist at Water Brook Dental in Washington DC for a dental check-up and other dental needs. Water Brook Dental has two locations in Washington DC. The Columbia Heights location is very  conveniently located to Downtown DC, Northeast DC, Adams Morgan, Dupont Circle, Logan Circle, U-Street Corridor, Mount Pleasant and many other parts of Washington. The Eastern Ave NW location is conveniently located to Downtown Silver Spring, Takoma Park MD, Silver Spring MD, Colesville, and other parts of Maryland as well as Northern Virginia and other parts of Virginia.