Brushing and flossing are among the most effective ways to keep your mouth healthy, but did you know that chewing gum can help too? Avid gum chewers should be jumping chomping for joy!
Before you get too excited though, you must be informed that oral health benefits only come from chewing sugarless or sugar-free gum, so those gumball machines are probably not your best friend. According to an article from ThePress Trust of India, a study published in the Journal of Dental Research: Clinical & Translational Research indicated that sugar-free gum reduced the risk of deterioration of dental caries by 28 percent
Sugar-free is the way to be!
According to the ADA, for gum to be labeled “sugar-free” it must containless than 0.5 grams of sugars per serving. To achieve the sugar-like sweetness, sugar-free gum is sweetened with sugar alcohols such as sorbitol and xylitol or high-intensity sweeteners like aspartame, stevia, or Sucralose.
Xylitol is perhaps the preferred sugar-free sweetener for products promoting oral health. It’s a natural sugar alcohol equal in sweetness and volume to sugar. It works its cavity-fighting magic by inhibiting the growth of oral bacteria and causing it to evolve over time, which allows for less bacteria to survive on tooth surfaces and minimizes the formation of plaque.
These sweeteners are noncariogenic, meaning they don’t cause cavities, since they are metabolized slowly or not at all by cariogenic plaque bacteria. The acids used in flavoring the gum also helps to fight tooth decay by decreasing plaque pH.
Saliva Stimulation
According to Colgate, studies have shown thatchewing sugarless gum for just 20 minutes after eating can reduce tooth decay. This is all due to saliva! In addition to sugar-free gum’s ingredients, the simple act of chewing gum increases saliva production, which also helps ward off cavities. Saliva is a natural cleanser, washing away debris and working as a buffer to keep harmful acids from sticking to teeth and forming plaque. Research indicates that flavor stimulates saliva even more, which totally makes sense since when something tastes good, we tend to chew more rigorously.
Pick Your Stick
Not all sticks of gum are created equally, so when choosing a chewing gum, first make sure it’s sugar-free. Many sugar-free gums have earned the ADA Seal of Acceptance, giving you the greenlight to chew away tooth decay. Below are some top picks of ADA approved gum.
- 5 Sugarfree Gum
- Bazooka Sugar Free Bubble Gum
- Eclipse Sugarfree Gum
- Extra Sugarfree Gum
- Ice Breakers Ice Cubes
- Trident Sugarfree Gum
If you have any questions or concerns about sugar-free gum and oral health, call us at 954-344-4488, or complete an online appointment request to schedule your consultation.