Adults and children alike enjoy chewing gum, but while chewing gum can have its advantages, such as freshening breath, it can also have its disadvantages. Being aware of the detrimental effects of gum can help consumers make healthful decisions when next purchasing and planning on chewing gum.
1. Plaque Formation
Plaque is a clear biofilm
of buildup on the teeth that can lead to both tooth decay and gum disease. Chewing gum or eating any food can cause plaque to form. After consuming food or chewing gum, plaque can formulate on the teeth within a few hours. The bacteria found in plaque can directly lead to tooth decay. If plaque is not removed from teeth quickly enough through brushing and flossing, bacteria can calcify, turn in to tartar and eventually lead to gingivitis if left untreated.
2. Tooth Decay
Chewing sugared gum can lead to tooth decay and gum disease. The chewing gum literally coats the teeth with sugar and can be especially destructive if you don’t brush your teeth immediately after chewing. Switching to a sugarless brand can alleviate the problem.
3. Unhealthy components of Chewing Gum
Other than sugar, chewing gum has many ingredients in that are not necessarily good for you in the long term. like aspartame and other sweeteners that are known carcinogens (cancer inducing factors) .
4. Stomach issues
Most of the chewing gum contains powerful gastric juice. According gastroenterologists, chewing on an empty stomach can trigger or aggravate gastritis or other stomach troubles. It has been observed that the content of chewing gums which are usually rubber base, sweeteners, combined with fragrances and softeners are obviously not good for health.
5. Tooth and Jaw Issues
Frequent chewing over time can also result in the wearing down of tooth enamel. In individuals who are susceptible to dental caries, a thin enamel can cause the caries to spread even faster, and a sugar – containing chewing gum will only accelerate the decay rate even more.
