The Benefits of Chewing Gum on Oral Health (F)
Chewing gum should be added into your daily oral care routine. It has many possible benefits on oral health: it kills bacteria, freshens breath, removes unwanted leftover food that may be stuck in teeth, and can even remineralize teeth and prevent cavities. Many different kinds of gum are offered on the market. One may prefer a specific gum because of its added benefits like xylitol or gum with CPP-ACP. Other preferences may be its flavor or whether or not its sugar free. Chewing gum with the ADA (American Dental Association) seal is best because that means its sugar free. Non-cavity causing sweeteners such as cylitol, spartame, xylitol, or mannitol sweeten sugarless gums. Chewing gum that contains …show more content…
Saliva plays a significant role in the mouth, it keeps teeth clean and helps strengthen the enamel because it contains phosphate and calcium. Salivary stimulation stops right after food is swallowed and does not start back up for about five minutes; this time is crucial. PH levels fall and teeth become endangered. “Saliva is normally secreted continuously at about five hundred milliliters per day but can be stimulated by mastication. Chewing a sugar free gum can increase the initial salivary flow rate by a factor of ten” (citation.) The most efficient time to chew gum would be about twenty minutes after a meal –around the time plaque forms (American dental Assoc.) Saliva contains remineralizing ions and bicarbonate, which can help buffer the high acidity levels caused by plaque. It’s said that chewing gum regularly is like going to the gym. Chewing helps make saliva glands larger and work better. So, overall more saliva is produced even when you are not chewing (Jacson, …show more content…
Many different kinds of gum are available to help with many different issues. One example is xylitol gum –a natural sweetener in gum that helps bacteria not stick to teeth and helps maintain normal pH levels in the mouth. Xylitol is also known to remineralize (rebuild) teeth. (Dental Benefits, 2013.) Xylitol gum can give extra benefits compared to other gums. If xylitol is listed as one of the first ingredients, it generally has enough xylitol to be beneficial. It can be found in some berries, fruit, vegetables, and mushrooms. When regular sugar (sucrose) is consumed it gives the bacteria on your teeth energy to thrive. The bacteria can then multiply and produce acids that will eat away the enamel and produce cavities. Xylitol, a natural sweetener from fibrous parts of plants, does not break down like sucrose. It helps prevent bacteria from sticking to teeth, slowing down tooth decay. The bacteria (Streptococcus mutans) cannot utilize xylitol to grow. Over time with xylitol use, the quality of the bacteria in the mouth changes and fewer and fewer decay-causing bacteria survive on the tooth’s surfaces. Xylitol prevents the acid attack that would normally occur for over half hour after a meal (dental benefits.) Some products known to contain xylitol include b-fresh, spry, xylichew, and
Chewing gum should be added into your daily oral care routine. It has many possible benefits on oral health: it kills bacteria, freshens breath, removes unwanted leftover food that may be stuck in teeth, and can even remineralize teeth and prevent cavities. Many different kinds of gum are offered on the market. One may prefer a specific gum because of its added benefits like xylitol or gum with CPP-ACP. Other preferences may be its flavor or whether or not its sugar free. Chewing gum with the ADA (American Dental Association) seal is best because that means its sugar free. Non-cavity causing sweeteners such as cylitol, spartame, xylitol, or mannitol sweeten sugarless gums. Chewing gum that contains …show more content…
Saliva plays a significant role in the mouth, it keeps teeth clean and helps strengthen the enamel because it contains phosphate and calcium. Salivary stimulation stops right after food is swallowed and does not start back up for about five minutes; this time is crucial. PH levels fall and teeth become endangered. “Saliva is normally secreted continuously at about five hundred milliliters per day but can be stimulated by mastication. Chewing a sugar free gum can increase the initial salivary flow rate by a factor of ten” (citation.) The most efficient time to chew gum would be about twenty minutes after a meal –around the time plaque forms (American dental Assoc.) Saliva contains remineralizing ions and bicarbonate, which can help buffer the high acidity levels caused by plaque. It’s said that chewing gum regularly is like going to the gym. Chewing helps make saliva glands larger and work better. So, overall more saliva is produced even when you are not chewing (Jacson, …show more content…
Many different kinds of gum are available to help with many different issues. One example is xylitol gum –a natural sweetener in gum that helps bacteria not stick to teeth and helps maintain normal pH levels in the mouth. Xylitol is also known to remineralize (rebuild) teeth. (Dental Benefits, 2013.) Xylitol gum can give extra benefits compared to other gums. If xylitol is listed as one of the first ingredients, it generally has enough xylitol to be beneficial. It can be found in some berries, fruit, vegetables, and mushrooms. When regular sugar (sucrose) is consumed it gives the bacteria on your teeth energy to thrive. The bacteria can then multiply and produce acids that will eat away the enamel and produce cavities. Xylitol, a natural sweetener from fibrous parts of plants, does not break down like sucrose. It helps prevent bacteria from sticking to teeth, slowing down tooth decay. The bacteria (Streptococcus mutans) cannot utilize xylitol to grow. Over time with xylitol use, the quality of the bacteria in the mouth changes and fewer and fewer decay-causing bacteria survive on the tooth’s surfaces. Xylitol prevents the acid attack that would normally occur for over half hour after a meal (dental benefits.) Some products known to contain xylitol include b-fresh, spry, xylichew, and