Chewing gum is mostly considered as a past time activity by adults and children alike, but it has surprising benefits for your overall and dental health. We sat down with top dentists from Icon Dental Center in Everette and Seattle to see what they had to say about chewing gum.

Benefits of Chewing Gum On Your Dental Health

• According to dentists, sugarless gum can be chewed regularly to reap many benefits to your dental health. Here are a few that are quite surprising.

Prevents Tooth Decay

• Chewing gum for at least 20 minutes can help protect your teeth from food debris that can get stuck into your teeth and promote bacteria growth that leads to plaque and tooth decay later. 

For best results, buy gum carrying the seal of approval by the American Dental Association to prevent cavities and tooth extraction later on.

Increases Flow of Saliva

• Eating gum can increase the flow of saliva in your mouth which helps it in washing away harmful bacteria living in your mouth. When this bacteria is washed away from the mouth and into your gum, your mouth not only enjoy healthier teeth and gums, but your bowel movements also become better.

Good digestion starts at the mouth so it is very important to keep your saliva in check.

Natural Alternative to Toothpaste

• If you ever run out of toothpaste while you are traveling or for any other reason, just chew gum for 20 minutes. Gum is a great way to clean your teeth and gums because it encourages saliva production and is an effective means of clearing teeth from food debris.

Other Benefits of Chewing Gum

• Dental health aside, there are numerous other benefits of chewing a piece of gum. Here are a few that are quite surprising.

Helps in Weight Loss

• Chewing gum is said to help control your cravings which in turn helps you make better eating choices. On average, people who chew gum eat 36 fewer calories than those who don’t regularly chew gum. The number of calories you avoid may not be high but if you avoid them on a daily basis, they will add up to be a lot in a month.

You Burn Calories While Chewing

• Believe it or not, you burn almost 11 calories an hour by just chewing on a stick of gum. Imagine chewing gum regularly and adding up the number of calories you burn on a daily basis along with making better eating choices.

It Fights Drowsiness

• If you find it difficult to stay focused at work, try chewing some gum. A study recently revealed that doing so will help you feel alert and fight back drowsiness. But it is recommended that you choose a mint-flavored gum to get the best results.

Reduces Heartburn

• If you suffer from excess heartburn, try popping in some gum after a meal and it will help lower the acid levels in your stomach. This effectively fights back acid reflux and heartburn. Choose a sugarless mint-flavored gum for the best results.

Chewing gum has numerous other benefits to your health as long as you use it moderately and stay with sugarless alternatives.