Gum Chewing and Your Teeth

Chewing gum is a favorite past time for many people, there are so many flavors to choose from and companies are consistently experimenting and developing new flavors. Like others things, the question to ask is, what sort of effect does chewing gum have on your teeth? As we know smoking and eating certain types of food can have an adverse impact on our oral health. Many of us resort to chewing gum in order to prevent bad breathe which is why smokers and people who eat food with strong ingredients are more likely to chew gum.

Let’s look at the affect chewing gum has on your teeth.

Tooth Decay

Most gums that are in the market are sugared gums which can cause tooth decay if eaten frequently. We all tend to keep chewing them on the go, whether it’s in our cars, office or home. For many people, it helps them cope with stress which is why they end up chewing more gum than they actually think. The sugar in the gum coats the teeth and can slowly damage your tooth enamel if you don’t brush and floss on a regular basis. If you are looking to chew gum try brands that don’t have high amounts of sugar coating to prevent tooth decay.

Causing Allergies and Irritations

Almost all popular gum brands use artificial sweeteners to make their products last longer and the sweetness is required to make the final product taste better. It’s important to remember that some of those artificial sweeteners can cause allergic reactions, especially with the use of aspartame which has been linked to causing headaches. Like with any other product containing chemicals, chewing gum can cause oral irritation and can have long term impacts if you don’t brush, floss and get dental checkups regularly.

Jaw Strain

Many companies advertise their gums that can be used at all times and occasions, but studies have shown that if you consistently chew gum then you may be adding stress on your jaws. If you don’t reduce the amount of gum you chew then you might end up developing a condition called ‘temporomandibular joint disorder’. This basically means that you might end up getting strong facial pains and discomfort in the back of your neck making day to day life difficult.

Masking Bad Breath

Many of you probably chew gum for avoiding bad breath as that’s the essential purpose of a gum. What many people don’t know is that it doesn’t get rid of bad breath, as bad breath is a symptom of digestive problems and tooth decay caused by chewing gum in the first place. The fact is that gum is a quick solution which keeps your mouth tasting fresh for merely minutes. You should try and change your diet and eat food that will improve your digestive health preventing you from having bad breath.

Summary:

Many of you don’t realize the impact chewing gum can have on our diets as there are many other things such as smoking which probably cause greater damage. Regardless of the impact it may have, you should try and avoid chewing gum as all the chemicals and sweeteners that it contains can have long term implications on your teeth if not taken care of properly.