Dentist Coral Springs: Chewing Gum Helps Prevent Cavities

For years the argument raged over whether chewing gum was good or bad for the teeth. The good news, it’s good for the teeth, provided you chew the correct type of gum.

For our mouth, gums, and teeth to remain healthy, we need saliva in our mouth at all times. The natural saliva provided by the body contains good bacteria, which help keep our mouth sweet and breath fresh.

However, as soon as we have eaten, a surge of plaque bacteria in the mouth begin to attack the enamel and dentine of our teeth. The food and drink we consume contains sugars which, combined with this plaque bacteria, will continuously work on breaking down our teeth’s natural defensive barrier, the enamel.

Brushing with a good quality fluoride toothpaste, and flossing our teeth, will go a long way to reducing the amount of damage these acids and bacteria can cause. What though, when we can’t brush after every meal?

With the busy lifestyle most of us lead, carrying around a tube of toothpaste and toothbrush in our top pocket is not an option. Even if we could, finding the time to properly brush our teeth would be an exercise in itself.

Clinical research has proven that chewing sugarless gum is the most effective way to keep these teeth damaging bacteria at bay. As soon as we have eaten, whether a sandwich, or a full meal, a strip of sugarless gum will help provide the protection from these acid attacks our teeth need.

Sugarless gum looks and tastes the same as any normal gum you can buy from your local corner drugstore. The sugar however, is replaced by artificial sweeteners.

In most good quality sugarless gum the sweetness is provided by Xylitol, a substance usually made from birch bark. It is also found in many berries, mushrooms, vegetables and fruit.