Blog

While regular chewing gum is packed with sugar that can be very damaging to your teeth, the use of sugarless chewing gum has been shown to have several benefits for your oral health. Throughout history people have chewed on different substances, especially after meals. Recent research has shown that the act of chewing can have a wide variety of health benefits for the entire body, especially the teeth and gums.
When chewing sugarless gum the rate of saliva excretion from the salivary glands increases by up to ten times. If this is done after a meal the saliva will more effectively break down and clear away the food particles that gather in your mouth. The saliva also acts as a ‘remineraliser’ in order to strengthen the enamel after it has been softened by the pH imbalance of the food and drink.
The role of saliva is also to neutralise the effects of plaque on teeth. Plaque acid begins to form and attack your teeth about 30 minutes after eating, when you salivary gland has already finished its natural cycle. The stimulation of saliva production at a later stage will have the effect of introducing saliva to the mouth at the most appropriate moment, when it will have the biggest impact in preventing plaque attacks. Some sugarless gums also include the ingredient xylitol which has been shown to have beneficial properties for reducing the formation of cavities.
There are a huge range of sugarless chewing gums from which to choose. If you are unsure about the best sugarless chewing gum to try, speak to your London dentist for their recommendation.