chewing gum - is it good for your teeth?

lin473

Obviously gum with sugar in is not good for teeth,
but what about the sugar free stuff ?
I know that sugar free drinks are still bad for your teeth but does that also apply to gum?
I have been suffering with a very dry mouth for weeks now,
I have been prescribed an artificial saliva spray,but have found that sucking sweets (obviously not good) and chewing gum is best to keep my mouth moist.
Oddly,drinking water is no help at all.
Any advice?

djl

my dentist allways tells me sugar free gum is good i chew it all the time

CarolnMalky

How about sugar free sweeties to suck on...they are quite tasty too for a change from chewing gum.

pink_phantom

Chewing gum isn't so good for your insides however. Not only does it contain lots of nastys but if chewed constantly or inbetween meals in can cause excess stomache acid to be produced and stomache ulcers as a result. This is because the chewing action causes the body to think that food is on the way and the stomache produces acid in readyness for digestion.

lin473

Thanks for your replies.
I feel reassured - especially if a dentist recommends it.
Chewing gum doesn't exactly fit my image but who cares if it works!

Toothsmith

Sugar free gum contains an artificial sweetener called sorbitol (That's where the 'orbit' in Wrigley's Orbit sugar free gum came from)

This artificial sweetener is actually good for teeth, although I can't remember why just off the top of my head!! I think it may inhibit the activity of the bacterial that cause decay.

Chewing stimulates saliva as well, and stimulated saliva has more calcium and phospahte ions in it, which help to repair the teeth from damage done during sugar intakes. (When saliva just dribbles out of the glands, quite a bit of calcium and phosphate has been resorbed back into the gland along the way - when saliva is stimulated, it comes wooshing out, and so not so much can be resorbed).

Beware of artificial sweeteners in sugar free sweets. There is a lot more in them than sugar free gum. A downside of these sweeteners is that they are big molecules, and draw water out of the gut in large quantities in order to maintain a balance of dilution between the body and the gut.

In short, if you have too many, it will fill the gut with fluid and you will poo for England at best, and have quite nasty stomach cramps AND poo for England at worst!