Something that most us of take part in regularly and without thinking a whole lot about is the chewing of gum. The chewing of gum can freshen your breath, it can calm your nerves, heck; it might even help you to quit smoking or watch your weight. Rarely, if ever, do we hear people asking if chewing gum can be harmful in any way to the teeth. When we do hear these kinds of questions, they mostly have to do with the sugar contained in the piece of gum.
The truth, however, is that it’s nothing but a misconception that chewing gum is bad for your teeth. Studies have been done, and they simply show otherwise.
The sugar in gum and the cavities it might cause are an age old worry that parents have had, but chewing gum probably isn’t so bad as long as it is sugar free. I have personally seen friends develop cavities even though they had excellent oral hygiene. The only thing that they did was chew sugared gum all day. That constant supply of sugar just lets the bacteria do more damage and makes the mouth more acidic which promotes cavities.
That said, there are some things one should take into consideration. For instance, gum chewers are probably more at risk for a chipped tooth, and also probably are more likely to damage a filling. However, these things occur only rarely and are not something that should make anyone not want to chew gum ever. If you have any type of jaw joint problems like popping or clicking sounds when the jaw moves then you should avoid gum chewing. I f you like to chew gum and your jaw gets tired easily then that is a sign of a bite issue and needs to be evaluated by a dentist who understands the bite.
As always, if you have any questions about this or any other dental health issues, please feel free to contact our office at anytime.
