Chewing sugar-free gum after eating can help fight tooth decay
Research shows that chewing sugar-free gum after meals and snacks helps protect your teeth, complementing a healthy oral care routine. After eating or drinking, bacteria in the plaque on teeth produce acid, and plaque pH can decrease to an unsafe level. This can cause demineralization that, over time, weakens teeth and can lead to decay. Chewing stimulates the salivary glands to increase their flow rate by up to 10 times during the first few minutes of chewing and the flavors in sugarfree gum also increase the quantity of saliva in the mouth. When brushing isn’t possible after eating or drinking, chewing sugarfree gum, like Orbit, stimulates saliva, which can help clean food particles and neutralize plaque acids on the teeth, as well as helping to back mineral density in teeth by shifting the equilibrium from demineralization to remineralization. Other Resources from the Wrigley Oral Healthcare Program can be found by clicking here.
Wrigley is proud to support National Dental Hygiene Month. The Wrigley Oral Healthcare Program has a longstanding commitment to partnering with dental professionals, and draws on decades of clinical research and expertise about the oral care benefits of sugarfree gum. To learn more about the Wrigley Oral Healthcare Program, visit wrigleyoralhealth.com.
Information from the ADAH
