Chewing Gum Decreases Cavity Risk
Most of us grew up in an age when chewing gum, either at home or in school, was frowned upon or outright banned. Times have changed and, just as when we were kids, our children love chewing gum! Since more and more sugarless chewing gums have come on the market, the previous concerns have fallen by the wayside. In fact, it’s even better than that: the ADA has performed studies to determine sugarless gum’s positive benefits to dental health.
Benefits of Sugarless Gum:
- Fight cavities
- Decrease gum disease
- Remineralize dental enamel
- Decrease plaque build up
That’s quite a list of accomplishments from a little stick of gum, isn’t it? Because chewing gum increases saliva—chewing for 20 minutes increases saliva production by 10%–infections caused by bacteria and fungus build-up is lessened! This means that chewing gum is actually good for your kids (so long as its sugarless)! Since many children can’t brush their teeth after lunch at school, chewing gum is a viable alternative to protect their pearly whites!
Not Just Any Gum
Choose gum with the ADA seal of approval, which is deemed safe. All ADA-approved chewing gums are sugarless.
If you have any concerns about your child’s dental health—or his or her gum-chewing habits—please contact us today for an appointment! We’ll help you determine the health of your children’s teeth and keep them on the road to beautiful, strong teeth!