Charmaine Johnson DDS Premier Smile Center

Chewing Gum in various forms has been around since ancient times.The Greeks chewed sap from the mastic tree, called mastiche. The ancient Mayans favored the sap of the sapodilla tree (called tsiclte). Native Americans from New England chewed spruce sap—a habit they passed on to European settlers.

Oral Effects of Gum Chewing

Sugar-containing Chewing Gum

Sucrose, is commonly used in chewing gum. Sucrose and other carbohydrates can be metabolized by oral bacteria. These bacteria produce dental biofilm and acid, which can lead to enamel breakdown and cavities. However, chewing gum can be beneficial.

Sugar-free Chewing Gum

Chewing gum can be labeled as “sugar-free” if it contains less than 0.5 g of sugars per serving. In place of sugar, sweeteners such as acesulfame-K, aspartame, neotame, saccharin, sucralose or stevia are used to sweeten gum. Gum may also be sweetened with sugar alcohols such as erythritol, isomalt, maltitol, mannitol, sorbitol, or xylitol. Unlike sugar, these sweeteners are non cavity producing, since they are metabolized slowly or not at all by cavity causing bacteria.

Pro and cons of gum chewing:

Con: Acid

Some chewing gum contains acids for flavoring (e.g., citric acid) and it causes an acidic pH in the plaque. In addition, the bacteria break down the sugars and when they do that, they produce acid This acid causes cavities to form.

Salivary Flow

The physical act of chewing stimulates salivary flow: and it can be up to 10-12 times more.

 Saliva buffers the effects of acids in foods or drinks that could otherwise soften teeth’s enamel surface, and swallowing excess saliva created by stimulation clears acid.

Stimulating salivary flow also enables clearance of fermentable carbohydrates, thereby removing them before bacteria in dental plaque can metabolize them.

Xylitol

When looking for what gum to buy, look for ones that contain Xylitol. This is a natural sugar that cannot be used by the bacteria to grow. The bacteria ingest it but cannot convert it anything and thus they starve to death.

Does Chewing Gum Replace Brushing and Flossing?

Chewing gum is an adjunct to brushing and flossing, but not a substitute for either.

The ADA recommends brushing twice a day with a fluoride toothpaste and cleaning plaque from between the teeth once a day with dental floss or other interproximal dental cleaners.

ADA Seal of Acceptance: Chewing Gum

Only chewing gums that are sugar-free can be considered for the ADA Seal. They are sweetened by non-cavity-causing sweeteners such as aspartame, sorbitol or mannitol. Chewing sugar-free gum has been shown to increase the flow of saliva, thereby reducing plaque acid, strengthening the teeth and reducing tooth decay.

Learn more about the oral health and preventive dental care for you. Schedule a consultation with Fort Lauderdale dentist Dr. Charmaine Johnson at the Premier Smile Center.

Vitamin D is made in the skin from enough exposure to the sun and acquired through your diet. So down here in Florida, how can we be deficient? I didn’t think it was possible until my son who is 12 years as diagnosed as being deficient. He does sports outdoors 5-6 days a week! I still don’t understand why that is the case, but his doctor said it’s more common than you realize. Fast forward 6 months later and I stumbled on an article in a dental journal about how vitamin D deficiency impacts wound healing and implant failure!

Vitamin D Deficiency is caused by:

1. Diet – not getting enough from things like fatty fishes like salmon and mackerel; fish oils, egg yolks, beef liver, orange juice and milk fortified with vitamin D.
2. Sun exposure – this can be challenging if you use high SPF sunblock or have darker pigmented skin. The high SPF sunscreen is our case as we have 100SPF sunblock.
3. Medical conditions – Vitamin D is converted to its active form in the kidneys so people with kidney disease can be at risk. Finally, obesity is a factor as the fat tissue extract Vitamin D from the blood.

This relates to dental treatment for the following reasons:

1. INFECTION is increased because Vitamin D helps the immune system fight bacteria. This is a problem with gum disease and infections after teeth are extracted or surgery is done.
2. BONE METABOLISM – Vitamin D helps the bone cells breakdown bone and regard bone. This is important with implants – we rely on the bone to grow around the implant to make it part of your body.
3. Gingivitis and gum disease – because low levels mean low immune response; low bone growing effect, using the laser to regenerate bone and cure gum disease is less effective.

So, in conclusion, make sure you find out how your Vitamin D levels are doing when you do your annual medical checkup. Also consider checking those levels if your gum health is not what it should be despite treatment.

Learn more about your dental health. Schedule a consultation with Fort Lauderdale dentist Dr. Charmaine Johnson at the Premier Smile Center.