Chew on this: gum may be good for you!

The act of chewing gum increases flow of saliva in your mouth. If you chew sugar-free gum after a meal, the extra saliva flow will help neutralize acids and clear food from the mouth, basically washing your teeth for you. Saliva also contains calcium and phosphate which can strengthen tooth enamel. Clinical studies have shown that chewing sugarless gum for 20 minutes following meals can help prevent tooth decay. It may also prevent teeth staining, thus keeping your teeth whiter for longer.

Some people do not produce enough saliva. This may be due to illness or certain medications. Chewing sugar-free gum can help with dry mouth symptoms by stimulating saliva formation.

So can you replace your tooth-bush and floss with bubble-gum? Sorry to burst the bubble, but chewing gum is NOT a substitute for brushing and flossing! Brushing teeth with a soft brush and fluoridated tooth paste is still the gold standard in oral hygiene.

Now you may find this difficult to digest…but chewing sugar-free gum can also help with your digestion! If you chew gum after meals, excess saliva is produced. This forces you to swallow more. Increased swallowing keeps your stomach busy forming digestive acids. Your meal will digest faster!

Are you trying to lose weight? There are claims that chewing gum reduces hunger. The chewing action and flavor of gum supposedly reduces craving for other snacks too. Of course if you expect only chewing gum to shave off those inches, it is only your patience that will wear thin! ;) Gum should only be an accompaniment to diet and exercise.

Recent preliminary research shows that gum may increase focus, concentration and alertness. It possibly also eases stress and tension.

Just remember, don’t bite off more than you can chew! Swallowing gum is not very healthy and constant chewing between meals may lead to excess production of stomach acids. Gum with sugar leads to tooth decay, so chew only sugar-free gum sweetened with xylitol.