One of my patients, Eileen, asked me a question that I think may be beneficial to everyone.
She asked, “I chew gum all the time. Is that bad for me?”
Many people believe that chewing gum is bad for their teeth. Actually, chewing gum could be very beneficial for the health of your teeth.
Chewing gum increases the amount of saliva your mouth produces. Saliva helps wash out food and plaque that may be on your teeth. Saliva also helps reduce the acidity level in your mouth.
High acidity levels in your mouth can destroy your teeth. And acid in the mouth, softens your teeth and increase your chances of developing cavities.Now here’s the key to enjoying the benefit of chewing gum:
If you have sugar in the gum, that is deadly to your teeth. But if you have sugar free gum, there is a tremendous amount of oral health benefit. The best gum to fight decay is gum that contains the ingredient, xylitol. Xylitol is a sweetener that kills decay producing bacteria.
Now, there are some concerns for chewing gum, if you have TMJ issues. Chewing gum may make people with TMJ issues worse.
And that’s the scoop.
I hope you liked this email Eileen.
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Floss like a madman!Emilio “Chew On That” Couret