Is Chewing Gum Good or Bad for Health of Your Teeth or Gums?

Many people regularly chew their gums in their mouth, keeping themselves active, or it is their habit to chew the cud like cows and buffalo in their spare time. However, various people at a young age or in their adulthood have a habit of chewing their gums on a regular basis.

In fact, chewing such gum could have side effects due to non-stop chewing for long hours. However, it could be good for your jawline and mouth exercise, but it could have some adverse impact on your teeth. Though, it helps to keep your teeth clean and makes them strong, the question arises here is whether chewing is good or bad for the health of your teeth and gums. Let's find out its impact.  

What is Chewing Gum Made Up Of?

There are different types of ingredients in chewing gum, like gum – a rubber-based substance, softeners, resin to strengthen gum, fillers, preservatives, flavourings and natural sweeteners like cane sugar, beet sugar, and corn syrup. However, the sugar-free chewing gums are made of sugar alcohols such as xylitol or artificial sweeteners such as aspartame to make them sweet and free from sugar properties.     

Though, there could be more or less material that can be used to manufacture the chewing gums, depending on the type and quality of gum or make it for different categories of users. And it is not necessary that all the chewing gum manufacturers use the same ingredients and disclose the same. But in chewing gums, there are certain materials that are not good for teeth. Let's find out.   

Is Gum Bad for Your Teeth?

As we have already told you, in chewing gum, there are various ingredients, and a few of them are not good for your dental health. What are the components in chewing gum that are not good for your teeth?      

Sweetener Extracts: To make the chewing gum sugary, popular sweeteners like cane sugar, beet sugar, and corn syrup are used. And excessive consumption of gums is not only harmful for diabetic people but also not good for the teeth. The sugar content attracts bad bacteria in your mouth that produce certain types of acid levels that cause cavities, damaging the enamel of your teeth.     

Aspartame: However, for diabetic people, this artificial sweetener is used to make the gums sweet in taste. Though, unlike other sweeteners, it is not that much harmful for your teeth, as it does not absorb any oral bacteria into acids that eat the teeth enamel.  However, as per the research and studies, consuming Aspartame on a regular basis can cause various health conditions, from headaches to obesity to cancer.

Butylated Hydroxytoluene: This is another unknown but important ingredient used while making the chewing gum. However, it is also mainly used in making mouthwash, toothpaste or chewing gums, especially made for dental care. It is an antioxidant and helps to stop the food from going bad by preventing fats from becoming rancid. Usually, the use of BHT up to a certain limit, like concentration of 0.001% in mouthwash, 0.1% in toothpaste and at 0.8% leave-on/rinse-off products, is safe for you.

Colour Extracts: Apart from making the gums sweet, the colour additives are also added to give the gums different shades. Though, as per the FDA, these colour additives are not bad for consumption, but the Titanium dioxide that adds a shiny finish to added colours like Red 3 and Green 3 is banned in the European Union. And these colours also don’t have any adverse effect on the teeth or gums.     

Excessive Chewing: Apart from some harmful ingredients in chewing gums, having this in your mouth for more than the recommended time can cause various health problems. Over-chewing of gums can stress your temporomandibular joint (TMJ) and cause Muscle fatigue or Headaches. And a few people chewing gum excessively can face problems like Jaw soreness or clicking in their mouth.

Is Gum Good for Teeth?

Chewing the gums not only has some adverse effects, but it also has some positive impact on your teeth.  However, the gum should be sugar-free and should not have any harmful ingredients beyond the limitations of the regulated authorities. So let's find out how gums are good for the health of your teeth.

Prevents Cavities: When you chew gum, it can stick all the food particles and also reduce the acid levels that cause cavities in your teeth. And as per the studies, chewing sugar-free gum after taking your meals can help you reduce the risk of tooth decay.  

Fresh Breath: The xylitol in sugar-free gum not only helps make the gums sweet, but it also has the potential cavity-preventing properties. It can prevent the bacteria that create bad breath, keeping your mouth fresh. And many gums are flavoured like mint and other natural herbs to keep your breath smell fresh.    

Helps in Dry Mouth: When you do not chew anything for many hours and your mouth remains idle, the saliva production becomes slow, allowing bad bacteria to attack your teeth. But when you chew gums, it stimulates saliva production, keeping your mouth moist and free from bacteria.   

Stops Acid Reflux: Though acid reflux is a phenomenon in which your stomach acid enters your mouth, it can damage the enamel of your teeth. However, chewing the gums helps to neutralise such acid and wash away from your mouth, preventing any harmful bacteria or chemicals.  

Remineralisation: The chewing gums also contain ingredients like Recaldent (CPP-ACP) that can help to remineralise and strengthen tooth enamel. This kind of ingredient makes your teeth more resistant to decay. 

Protects Your Teeth: A sugar-free and medicated chewing gum works like a natural cleaning material that protects your teeth from bad bacteria and prevents various types of acid levels. But at the same time, limit the chewing time and avoid chewing the gums excessively, which can cause jaw-related problems.

Conclusion: Chewing Gum is Good or Bad for Your Teeth

Though chewing gums made from artificial sweeteners or containing harmful materials is not good for your teeth. You can choose sugar-free products containing xylitol that will stimulate the salivary production and reduce the bacteria causing cavities. The salvia also neutralises the acids and remineralises tooth enamel.    

Chewing gum also helps to keep your breath fresh and also align your jawline, but don't over-chew such gums, as excessive chewing can cause jaw fatigue. And while buying the sugar-free gums, always check the xylitol content and the presence of the ADA Seal of Acceptance. However, if you have any dental problems, you can visit the Best Dentist in P3, Greater Noida, to get the best treatment for all dental problems.