Is Chewing Gum Bad For You-Gum chewing is safe, right? You may even have read or heard that it’s beneficial for your teeth. However, the dentist advises you to pause before removing the wrapper from the next stick of gum. It turns out that chewing gum can seriously harm your teeth and jaw.
Is excessive gum chewing dangerous for your jaw?
Your temporomandibular joints, which are situated in front of each ear, are where your jaw moves. That joint is supported by a network of muscles. To chew and move your jaw from side to side, the muscles in your jaw bring it together.
Typically, you chew food so that it may be swallowed in smaller bits. However, when you chew gum, you are simply chewing. Gum chewing is regarded by dentists as para functional, or outside of the normal function. Gum chewing and other dysfunctional behaviors can lead to temporomandibular disorder or exacerbate pre-existing symptoms.
Your temporomandibular joints, muscles, and teeth are subjected to excessive strain when you chew gum all the time, which causes overstress, imbalance, and misalignment. This may result in one or both temporomandibular joints clicking or popping, as well as headaches, jaw pain, and tooth fractures.
When they move their jaw, some people can experience excruciating discomfort from even a slight shift in their temporomandibular joint.
Can Gum chewing result in headaches?
Some people chew gum excessively, especially younger people like teenagers. The jaw muscles are drained as a result of this. When a student experiences stress, such as when studying or taking an important test, they frequently chew gum as a coping mechanism. Stress often causes people to chew more quickly and forcefully, which aggravates the issue and causes a tension headache.
What are the benefits of chewing gum?
The first sugar-free gums hit the market in the 1960s to encourage better oral health. Artificial sweeteners including aspartame, stevia, xylitol, and sorbitol, which don’t cause tooth decay, are found in sugar-free gum. Studies suggest that there may be some advantages to chewing sugar-free gum.
For instance, chewing gum stimulates salivation, which enhances dental health by cleaning away food particles and balancing the acids created by the bacteria in your mouth. However, Physicians advise against using gum as a substitute for regular after-meal brushing or any other oral hygiene practice.
Using gum helps relieve dry mouth (but may not be the best way).
A common problem caused by insufficient saliva production in the mouth is dry mouth, also known as xerostomia. It may result in poor breath and, in the long run, tooth decay. Although chewing gum frequently is probably not the greatest technique to treat dry mouth, it helps improve saliva production.
Regular water sips might be equally as effective. You can also use drugs to boost your body’s natural saliva production.
Your healthcare practitioner can assist you in identifying the root cause of your dry mouth and in creating a plan to either prevent it or lessen your symptoms.
There is no proof that chewing gum reduces stress
Many people rely on gum to make them feel more at ease, concentrate during a test, or help them resist a portion of tempting food. The scientific data, however, is conflicting. There is no hard evidence that chewing gum negatively affects your mental well-being, academic performance, or weight
