There has been a great deal made lately of sugar-free chewing gum and how effective it is in cleaning your teeth. So, is it as good as brushing? Sorry to say, it is not. It is, however, a great aid in keeping your mouth clean when paired with brushing and flossing.

The way to use the gum is to chew a piece for 20 minutes after a meal, it will serve to create more saliva, thus reducing the acid that builds up and causes tooth decay, it also serves to remove food particles from your teeth and mouth, that if allowed to stay can build up plaque causing bacteria. The ingredient Sorbitol can help to reduce plaque build-up.

The American Dental Association goes as far as to put its seal on those gums that have gone through rigorous testing to prove that they do indeed promote more saliva formation then their baseline sugar-free gum. (ADA Council on Scientific Affairs Acceptance Program Guidelines: Sugar Free Chewing Gums to Help Prevent/Reduce Cavities copyright 2010 American Dental Association)

The ADA states that there has not been adequate testing on sugared gums, however, saying that while they do also increase saliva, which is the vehicle for reducing acid causing bacteria on teeth, because they contain the known cavity creating agent, sugar, they have left it untested.

There was also an interesting study reported in Contemporary Clinical Dentistry in 2010 that concluded: Manuka honey, a honey derived from a single flower source, the nectar of the Manuka tree, and chlorhexidine containing mouthwash are more effective than sorbitol in the treatment of plaque build-up.

So, chewing gum does, in fact, help keep your teeth shiny and plaque free. When you chew sugar-free gum along with daily brushing and flossing you can help your mouth stay happy and healthy.

Please contact us if you have any questions about sugar free gum.