'After eating: don't forget to brush your teeth"- that is the motto. Often, however, you do not have the time or opportunity to clean your teeth with a toothbrush after every main meal or between meals. Therefore, a sugar-free tooth chewing gum is recommended. This does not clean the teeth sufficiently, but helps better On the one hand, the chewing gum leads to fresh breath, on the other hand it has been scientifically proven that the chewing movement leads to an increased flow of saliva. Substances contained in saliva neutralize the pH value in the mouth, so that acids are formed after eating do not attack the toothache too much.
The mechanism of action of chewing gum for dental care (so-called Dental chewing gums) is based on the fact that the salivary glands are stimulated during the chewing movement to form and release more secretions.
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Saliva has the property of having a neutralizing effect on the acids in the oral cavity. These are then no longer able to damage the teeth.
It should also be noted that many nutrients are enzymatically broken down into sugar in the mouth while eating.
This sugar is then available to the bacteria living in the oral cavity, is metabolized by them and promotes the development Lactic acid.
The lactic acid in turn has a damaging effect on the hard tooth substance by loosening important minerals from the tooth enamel.
Also read: What is the best way to brush my teeth?
In addition, chewing gum for cleaning teeth should serve to remineralize, that is, to "heal" the enamel. To what extent they actually manage this, however, has not yet been conclusively clarified.
The mechanical cleaning of teeth is also improved by using chewing gum to clean teeth. The chewing surfaces in particular are therefore less affected by caries, while dental care chewing gum has little influence on the mechanical cleaning of the outer surfaces of the teeth.
Chewing gum for cleaning teeth is usually sugar-free and is often used in everyday life. However, they should never be used to replace tooth brushing in the long term.
Dental care chewing gums are usually sweetened with a sugar substitute called xylitol.
In contrast to normal sugar, xylitol cannot be converted by the bacteria in the oral cavity and therefore does not favor the development of tooth decay.
Chemically speaking, xylitol is a sugar alcohol. As the name suggests, it has a sweet taste and is therefore very popular for sweetening. In nature, xylitol comes in cauliflower, Berry or plum in front. However, these foods only contain a small percentage of xylitol. It is therefore obtained industrially from hardwoods and grain.
The special thing about xylitol is that it has almost the same sweetness as normal table sugar. However, the physiological calorific value is 40% lower than that of sucrose. Xylitol is of dental importance due to its anti-cariogenic effect. On the one hand, it prevents the enamel from being destroyed by sugar, and on the other hand, it prevents tooth decay from developing. One of the tasks of xylitol is to prevent the caries bacteria from adhering to the tooth surface. The further task is to stimulate the production of saliva. This saliva leads to the neutralization of the pH value. Xylitol therefore indirectly raises the pH value. In addition, the saliva contains proteins, enzymes and minerals that break down excess food and remineralize and strengthen the enamel.
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There are chewing gums especially for children that are less spicy. Children choose their food very much based on their taste, so there are some companies that offer dental care chewing gum with a special taste to make it particularly tasty for the children. It is important to note that these chewing gums are also sugar-free. Dentists use the chewing gum red and white male tooth recommended. There are also different types of chewing gum with different ingredients. Chewing gum containing fluoride or other minerals is important for remineralizing tooth enamel. However, if you want to protect your toddler from additional fluoride, you should use fluoride-free dental care chewing gum. From when children are allowed to eat these chewing gum is up to the parents. We recommend an age of 6 years and over, as the chewing gum should not be swallowed, but must be spat out again.
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The use of chewing gum after eating has already been tested in a large number of studies. So it has been scientifically proven that regular chewing gum is definitely a good prophylaxis for healthy teeth. The risk of tooth decay is reduced by almost half if sugar-free chewing gum is chewed in addition to brushing your teeth. It is enough to chew the gum for a quarter of an hour.
The added benefit of sugar-free chewing gum is that they are mostly like a sugar substitute Xylitol which also works against tooth decay. Bacteria cannot utilize the breakdown product of xylitol. So if they are not given food, the bacteria die and cannot cause tooth decay. It is important to note that chewing gum cannot replace daily dental care with a toothbrush. The new, soft coating may be worn away somewhat by chewing and the increased saliva production, but the chewing gum, which contains emery particles, cannot remove any plaque or food residues.
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Chewing gums that contain calcium, fluoride or phosphates are also useful. These minerals strengthen and remineralize tooth enamel, which would otherwise be demineralized after eating.
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