Updated: 2/18/2020
Everyone loves to chew gum. In fact, kids in North America spend close to half a billion dollars on chewing gum each year. But what are the effects of chewing gum on your oral health? Is it helpful, or harmful? Actually, it can be both. The effects depend on what kind of gum you chew.
Sugary Gum
Gum that contains large amounts of sugar is overall more harmful to your teeth than beneficial. Chewing sugary gum excessively may be harmful, as the sugar can stick to your teeth, attracting plaque. However, removing the sugary gum from your mouth too soon may increase likelihood of cavities as well. If you’re going to chew sugary gum, you should chew it for at least 15-20 minutes, according to World Dental. At this point, the sugar in the gum is gone, and the remaining sugar on your teeth can be washed away due to the increased saliva production from the gum.
Sugar-Free Gum
Sugarless gum, on the other hand, actually benefits oral health in many ways, no matter how long you chew it. For example:
- Freshens breath
- Prevents dry mouth
- Neutralizes acids formed from bacteria in the mouth
- Reduces plaque
- Reduces gingivitis for healthy gums
This is mostly due to the fact that chewing gum increases saliva production. Saliva is one of the most important components of oral health. Not only does it neutralize the acids in your mouth that over time can wear away tooth enamel and cause erosion, but saliva contains calcium that can actually help strengthen enamel. The sticky surface of gum also helps reduce plaque without leaving residue of its own. This consequently helps with the prevention of cavities, gingivitis, and other resulting dental problems such as toothaches.
Not a Substitute
Though chewing gum can have many benefits to your oral health, it’s by no means a replacement to regular daily hygiene. Chewing gum in place of brushing and flossing would not be beneficial. Brushing twice and flossing once daily is recommended to effectively remove plaque; however, it’s clinically proven that chewing sugarless gum for 20 minutes after meals can further help prevent decay.
Chewing gum can be very beneficial to your mouth. The ADA even released a seal of approval, which has been given to some gum brands to show that that brand of gum is effective in improving oral health. Look for the ADA Seal next time you buy a pack of gum to ensure that it is a healthy choice.
One thing I discovered the hard way: chewing gum habitually can lead to grinding teeth while sleeping. This causes a lot of wear and tear on the teeth.
That’s really interesting. Thank you for sharing!
What kind of chewing gum is best for dentures to keep from sticking to your dentures.
Freedent sugar-free chewing gum has the most positive reviews for denture-wearers! Walgreens, Walmart and Amazon have this kind of gum.
Thanks for the information. This has never been explained to me before. I have restrained from chewing gum having questioned the results there of. Alice
hanks for reading, Alice!
Just be careful with gum containing Xylitol. It will kill your pet very quickly.
I chew gum with xylitol in it instead of sugar. Xylitol actually helps clean the teeth and it doesn’t cause cavities. It’s called Spry carried by some health food stores and it is not expensive.
James, that is a great alternative! Thank you for sharing!
Thank you for the information regarding chewing gum. When I do chew I will be sure to use only sugar free come from now on.
Glad you found this helpful, Louis!
very happy to know sugarfree gum is okay as I chew a lot of it, orbit peppermint. I brush after eating with a sonicare and use water pic. I was told by hygenist to use the tool with the metal, the brush and the tongue cleaner.
I guess I knew this all along, but it sure was good to refresh my memory! Thanks!
this is really informative. thank you for sharing this very useful information through this blog.
I didn’t know that chewing gum can be helpful for a person’s oral health. But I have to agree that it’s not really a substitute to our daily dental hygiene. After all, there’s no better way to take care of it than the old-fashioned way, right?