Blog Highlights:
- Sugarless gum can help stimulate your salivary glands so you can produce more saliva
- Saliva is important as it can help protect your teeth from acids and from decay
- You need to use sugarless gums that have the ADA Seal of Acceptance so you will know that you are using something effective
Saliva is a very important part of oral hygiene. This is simply because saliva acts as a defense against many oral problems. As a matter of fact, your teeth and gums are more prone to decay and disease without it.
The main purpose of saliva when it comes to your teeth’s health, is to neutralize the acids that come from your diet or from the plaque on your teeth’s surface. Saliva is also meant to help remove food debris from your teeth, this can help you avoid tooth decay.
Some people can have decreased saliva production due to the use of certain medications, or due to different health factors. This can lead to serious oral problems if left untreated. This is why some dentists recommend that you use sugarless gum to help alleviate the problem. Chewing gum can help stimulate your salivary glands and it can be used to temporarily increase the production of saliva in your mouth. You should however, make sure that you are using sugarless gum simply because the sugars in the typical chewing gum can actually help increase the acids produced by the bacteria in your mouth.
You can look for products that have the ADA Seal of Acceptance so you can be sure that you are using something effective. You should also brush twice a day, and floss once per day to help keep your teeth and gums in good condition. If you have dry mouth problems because of decreased saliva production, you should see your dentist right away.
