Chewing gum to prevent bad breath might be a necessity in the lives of some Sinclair Community College students.
Not only is gum good for preventing bad breath, but a recent study by the Wrigley Science Institute suggest that chewing gum helps improve memory, manages weight, helps to reduce stress and improves oral health.
But, in the long run, chewing the wrong kind of gum will have detrimental effects on oral health, according to Laura Reising, a student in the dental hygiene program.
“Chewing sugary gum is not beneficial for you because it is coating your teeth with sugar,” Reising said. “It is just causing a great environment for bacteria to feast on the sugar causing the PH in your mouth to turn very acidic which will cause
tooth decay.”
As part of the Dental Hygiene Program’s community service requirement, Reising and her classmate Loralee Olinger posted a bulletin board in Building 3 informing students about oral hygiene and oral health.
“While doing the research, we found that gum chewing especially, if you chew gum too much can cause you to have TMJ problems,” she said.
TMJ, the temporomandibular joint, is the area that connects the lower jaw to the skull. Continual grinding of the teeth, habitual gum chewing and fingernail biting can lead to TMJ, with symptoms such as pain or tenderness of the jaw, difficulty chewing or discomfort while chewing, according to www.mayoclinic.com.
To prevent TMJ, Reising said students, faculty or staff should chew gum a couple minutes after a meal, but once your jaw becomes sore, stop chewing.
“Even the best kind of gum is bad for you in excess. It is really the sugar-free gum with xylitol that is most beneficial. Don’t chew your gum all day, for 3 to 4 hours. Just chew your gum after your meal if a toothbrush is not available, because you don’t want to chew your gum until you have jaw problems,” she said.
In the dental hygiene program, she said everyone will brush their teeth after they eat or after clinics. But, she said she realizes this is not typical for most students. She recommends students who don’t have access to toothbrushes throughout the day to chew sugar-free gum with xylitol.
Xylitol is added to some chewing gum as a way to prevent tooth decay and dry mouth. Unlike normal sugars, xylitol will not be converted in the mouth to acids which causes a build of bacteria and tooth decay.
“With the right balance of gum you can keep your teeth cleaner because the gum stimulates the saliva in your mouth. If you use gum with xylitol it will kill some of the bacteria in your mouth,” Reising said.