The benefits of sugar-free gum
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Sugar-free gum and dental health
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Looking after our teeth on the go
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Dealing with plaque
Okay, the day is hectic – a latte on the way out to work. No time for lunch so a chocolate bar will have to suffice. Hot chocolate mid-afternoon for a much-needed energy boost, followed by a can of pop at 4 pm and a sweet or two shared with a colleague before heading home. Sometimes it’s tough for us to look after ourselves properly – especially our oral health – as we chase the minutes through our days.
Do you know your teeth are always under attack between the times we brush them? Acid, produced by plaque bacteria, attacks our teeth if we eat anything laden with sugar with the inevitable consequences of dentine and enamel erosion.
The benefits of sugar-free gum are that it can help our teeth recover after eating food, though it will not be a replacement for brushing twice a day with a fluoride toothpaste.
The process of chewing sugar-free gum as part of your oral health routine helps the mouth to produce more saliva.
It is the natural defence against acid attack with our saliva helping to replace the minerals that the enamel has lost after eating. Chewing sugar-free gum speeds up the process and can be useful in neutralising harmful plaque acids.
The benefits of sugar-free gum – it can help our teeth recover after eating food
In an article posted on the Oral Health Foundation website, we read: ”More than a million patients use NHS dental services each week, many of them to treat problems which are almost entirely preventable if caught early enough, this costs the NHS a staggering £3.4bn every year.
“A 2013 study showed that more than a third of 12-year-olds surveyed in the UK had obvious decay in their permanent teeth, while other studies have demonstrated that poor oral health as a child or adolescent can lead to poor oral health as an adult, creating a potentially vast NHS cost throughout the patient’s lifetime, through treatment such as the replacement of fillings and the implantation of crowns, bridges and prosthetics.”
In research published in the British Dental Journal it suggests that if all 12-year-olds across the UK chewed sugar-free gum after eating or drinking, the NHS could save around £8.2 million a year on dental treatments.
Cards on the table: Tooth decay is preventable. We often see the ravages of failing teeth at our practice in North Street, Dudley, but we get only an insight into the social and psychological damage it can cause.
Our diet, social life, self-confidence, gums and general health can all be affected.
Want to keep your smile in good shape? Make sure you visit the dentist and if you’re looking for a new one, consider joining us. We are a family-friendly practice with some great deals on our Dental Plan. Check out what we can do for you.
The Oral Health Foundation is an independent charity (not for profit) dedicated to improving oral health and well-being around the world. For more than 40 years we have continued to provide expert, independent and impartial advice on all aspects of oral health directly to those who need it most. It works closely with the UK and European governments, dental health professionals, manufacturers and the dental trade.
