“Is chewing gum often bad for your teeth?”
Since I quit smoking last year, I am pretty much always chewing gum. Obviously this is not nearly as bad for my teeth as smoking was, but can this do any damage to my teeth? I always chew sugar-free gums.
26 Answers
Chewing Sugar-free gum is OK
I’ve never heard of any issues.
Congratulations on this huge step to better health! Chewing gum can actually be beneficial in many ways. It can remove difficult to remove food particles from the grooves on the biting surfaces of the teeth. I would recommend selecting a brand of gum that contains an ingredient called “Xylitol”. Oral bacteria can metabolize sugars into acidic byproducts that damage your teeth. Xylitol is the only sugar that cannot be metabolized by oral bacteria, further protecting your teeth from decay. The only downside to frequently chewing gum is that it exercises the grinding and clenching muscles and can increase damage from a grinding or clenching habit. All in all I would agree, it’s still better than your previous smoking habit! Congrats again!
Chew away...as long as you are using sugarless gum, in fact it may even keep your teeth healthier.
Chewing sugar free gum will not hurt your teeth.
Chewing sugarless gum actually helps remove some plaque and debris from tooth surfaces. You are doing no harm.
Yes, chewing gum creates issues with the muscles of mastication and the temperomandibular joints.
Our teeth naturally wear down as we use them throughout our lives. Chewing on anything too much will speed that wear, however the risk of chewing a lot of gum is fairly low. If it keeps you from smoking, I wouldn’t stop. Smoking will cause you to lose teeth from bone loss. Maybe consider slowing down a little and eventually trying to get to a max of 3 or 4 hours a day of chewing gum or less. Good luck!
Sugar free gum will not do damage to your teeth. It may help clean your teeth, but long term may cause damage to your TMJ.
Chewing sugarless gum is perfectly healthy for teeth. It has benefits (increase salivary flow, increase pH in the mouth, removal of food particles after eating) and no downfalls to teeth. If one has jaw joint issues, gum is not recommended as it could exacerbate the problem.
Otherwise- chew until your heart's content!
Hope this helps.
Jossi Stokes, DDS
Otherwise- chew until your heart's content!
Hope this helps.
Jossi Stokes, DDS
Typically chewing gum will not garm your teeth. If anything it is good for your teeth as it promotes saliva flow which help reduce acid attack on the teeth and promotes remineralization. Make sure its sugar free and ideally a Xylitol containing gum is best. If you chew too much it can be straining on the muscles edpecially if thd gum gets hard and difficult to chew so like anything moderation is best.
Sugar free gum, especially those flavored with Xylitol can actually benefit your teeth. This naturally occurring sugar has been shown to decrease plaque which can decrease cavity risk. Also chewing gum can stimulate saliva flow which acts as a buffer against acid erosion and bacteria build up. Trident and Ice cubes are 2 brands sweetened with Xylitol.
If you are comfortable and you do not have teeth weakened by large fillings, probably not harmful.
Chewing Gum if it is sugarless is not for your teeth actually it is good for your teeth because it promotes the salivary glands to excrete Saliva to keep the mouth moist and cleans the outer surfaces of your teeth.
Chewing gum is very common. Most of the people develop a habit of taking a fresh breath to boost their mood while combatting stress. But, you should be aware that chewing gum is often bad for your teeth.
This is so because chewing gums are sweetened by non-cavity sweeteners such as mannitol, sorbitol or aspartame. All these sweeteners increase the saliva flow and reduce the plaque acid. Reduction in the plaque acid is harmful to the tooth enamel.
This is so because chewing gums are sweetened by non-cavity sweeteners such as mannitol, sorbitol or aspartame. All these sweeteners increase the saliva flow and reduce the plaque acid. Reduction in the plaque acid is harmful to the tooth enamel.
Sugar free gum is a good choice. However in some cases excessive gum chewing can cause TMJ pain and problems. Congratulations on quitting smoking and just don’t overdo the gum chewing. If you need a dentist, call the office of Dr. Brad Emery, Dr. Nicholas Emery and Dr. Carol Scuro, at 585-247-7110. Or check out our website at www.drsemeryandscuro.com.
No it is not. It is actually a good habit to develop. Keep doing good work. You can have one after meals.
No. Sugar free gum please
Chewing gum is only bad for your teeth if you're chewing sugary gum. Sugar-Free is the way to go, so you've got that covered. Gums with a sugar substitute called Xylitol is particularly special because the ingredient kills the bacteria that is responsible for dental decay. Chewing gum after meals helps to cleanse your teeth, but it also stimulates your saliva glands which help to neutralize plaque acids responsible for tooth decay.
Thanks for asking a great question!
-DIV
Thanks for asking a great question!
-DIV
Sugar free gum is good for you. Over chewing may cause jaw joint problems, but as far as your teeth, it stimulates saliva and helps clean your teeth after a meal. Keep on chewing.
Gum is a wonderful help when you quit smoking. It gives your mouth something to do. The only thing to watch out for is developing jaw pain. Sometimes people develop TMJ joint pain as a result of chewing, especially alot of gum at once or chewing a piece of gum until it loses all elasticity. Good luck.
As an orthodontist I require my patients to give up gum temporarily even sugarless gum but that's so that they incur less breakage of the appliances. As long as you're exercising good oral hygiene including flossing feel free to chew all the gum you want.
As long as you do not have any TMJ (jaw joint) or masticatory muscle issues, you should be fine. But like anything overdoing one particular activity might put a strain on entire system (joint, muscles, teeth).
Excessive gum chewing can cause tempo mandiblelar problem.
I am glad that you said sugarless, sugar with the bacteria that release acids will cause decay.
As long as you are not wearing your teeth down or getting TMJ symptoms, sugar-free gum is not harmful.
