If you are not already in the habit of chewing sugar-free gum, you may not know that it is a very easy and effective way to improve the health of your smile. It can be used in conjunction with brushing and flossing your teeth every day to improve your oral health and freshen your breath. There are many benefits of chewing sugar-free gum, including reducing your risk of cavities and enhancing your tooth quality.

There have been numerous studies performed on chewing gum, and the results provide evidence to show that 20 minutes of chewing sugar-free gum following a meal can help keep tooth decay at bay. While teeth are often too sensitive to be brushed for about half an hour after food, chewing gum is an effective way to clean your smile and remove harmful substances. Most importantly, it increases your production of saliva to remove plaque and food particles from your teeth, neutralize harmful acids that cause tooth enamel erosion and offer beneficial properties for the enamel such as calcium, fluoride and phosphates.

While any gum can increase saliva flow, only sugarless offers all the benefits. Gum that has sugar will actually feed the bacteria in your mouth and undo any positive outcomes. Furthermore, you should never skip brushing or flossing and just chew gum, since while it offers protection for your smile, it doesn’t clean between teeth.

Contact Bishop Family Dental at 801-274-2500 today if you have questions for our dentist, Dr. Daniel Bishop, about improving your oral health in Salt Lake City, Utah.

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