How Chewing Gum Could Save You Visits To The Dentist!

So you clean your teeth twice daily and floss too, in addition to using antibacterial mouthwash. That's great news for your teeth and for your oral health in general. However, your daily eating habits could spell disaster for your teeth, no matter how rigorous your cleaning regime is.

However, chewing gum could save you from extra visits to the dentist. Here's how.

Poor daily eating habits

How many snacks and drinks do you enjoy every day? Many people tend to eat and drink 'on the go', especially at work. This can mean that your mouth is subjected to a continual barrage of attack from sweets, biscuits, tea, coffee and sugary drinks. In fact, whatever you eat fuels the development of plaque on your teeth.

Plaque is a form of bacteria that feeds on the leftover food that can become trapped between your teeth. Plaque forms a slimy coating on your teeth, where it attacks the enamel, causing damage and facilitating the entry of bacteria that can start tooth decay.

You can tackle plaque by taking time out to clean your teeth once a day while you're at work, although this isn't always practical. However, chewing gum could be the solution.

How chewing gum improves your dental health

The saliva that your mouth continually produces neutralises the enamel damaging acid that is caused by plaque and prevents it from building up on your teeth. Chewing gum encourages the production of saliva and also moves scraps of food out of crevices in your teeth, eliminating a source of food for the bacteria that cause plaque.

All you need to do each day to keep your teeth healthier and free from plaque is to chew gum, as long as it is sugar-free.

If you are in the habit of drinking lots of cups of tea or coffee during the working day, your teeth can become stained very quickly, despite regular professional cleans. After each cup of coffee or tea, try chewing a piece of sugar-free, whitening chewing gum to combat the staining effects of your drink. It's a not perfect solution, but it can help; talk with your dentist to learn about actual teeth whitening treatments if your teeth are quite stained.

You can lower the chances of tooth decay and tooth enamel staining as a result of poor daily eating habits by chewing a piece of sugar-free gum following each snack or cup of tea or coffee that you have. For more advice on how to keep your teeth in great shape, have a chat with your dentist.

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