To chew or not to chew?

It has been an age old argument whether or not man shalt chew upon thine gum. But seriously, there has been a debate in recent years about the benefits and downsides to regularly chewing gum as part of your oral routine.

Essentially, it is a good thing to be chewing gum as long as it is sugar-free. Chewing gum can offer a number of hidden benefits:

Physically dislodges any food in between teeth. This can be handy as a replacement for flossing on the go if you don’t have access to your toothbrush or dental floss.
Stimulates saliva flow. This has been covered in our previous posts, but deserves to be revisited. Saliva is extremely important for naturally balancing the pH levels of your mouth, and by preventing harmful bacteria and sugars to sit on the teeth and cause decay.
Freshens your breath. Although it is no substitute, chewing gum can relieve a nasty case of halitosis and stop you from scaring away everyone you love.

So remember to stay away from any gum that contains sugar, and chew away!

I leave you with this amazing, yet extremely unnerving gum-sculpture: