Healthy mouth, Healthy body, that's an old expression.

Healthy mouth, Healthy body and Wealthy pocket , it's the new mantra. 

A Healthy body starts with good dental hygiene. That's what drives us all to brush our teeth first thing in the morning. With that comes, fewer trips to dentist and more importantly to physicians which translates to less money spent on dental and medical expenses. Believe it or not, chewing sugarless gums comes for help to make it even easier in keeping your teeth strong and protect from cavities.

When we were kids, we were told to avoid sugar-ladened chewing gum for health concerns. Now, it is hard to see a kid without gum in their mouth. At the same time, chewing gum manufacturers came a long way attracting health consicious consumers by providing products which ensures good oral health. In this post, we will see how sugarless gum helps to save money and keep us healthy. 

What are Sugarless Chewing Gums?

Chewing gum is no longer is meant to provide a sweet treat or freshen breath. It has taken different avatar in oral health. You've seen the claims on sugarless gum wrappers. Packages of Orbit say the chewing gum helps strengthen the teeth. And a package of Trident gum containing xylitol says it helps prevent cavities. The question in our minds, Are these claims solid?

According to Martin Schlatter, Wrigley's marketing chief, it seems so. A three-year clinical study showed 8% fewer cavities, and a two-year study found a 38% drop, because chewing the gum strengthens teeth and creates saliva that reduces plaque acids.

But not all chewing gum have this magic packed inside, health advantage is totally depend on the type of gum chewed. Two types of sugar substitues are used in sugarless gums depending on the manufacturers. They are xylitol and sorbitol. They are also called sugar alcohols, referring to their chemical make-up but they don't actually contain alcohol. By adding natural sweeteners like xylitol, manufacturers added the benefit of fighting against bacteria.

How Sugarless Gum works?

Let's take Xylitol. It is a natural sweetener found in fruits such as strawberries, plums and pears. Xylitol looks and tastes like sugar. For this reason, it's used to sweeten food and candies like chewing gum,  gumdrops, mints, medicated syrups and tablets, toothpaste and mouthwashes. It' is also found in dietetic and diabetic foods. Several dental associations endorse sugar-free products that are at least 50% sweetened with xylitol.

Xylitol is an anti-microbial which acts against the bacteria itself, preventing tooth decay according to scientific research. When bacteria in your mouth combine with sugars, they produce acid. This acid damages teeth, causing cavities. Bacteria in your mouth can't break down xylitol, so no acid is produced. Also, the sweetness of xylitol encourages salivation. Saliva washes out the mouth and helps prevent cavities.

Eating large amounts of products that contain xylitol may have a laxative effect. For example, having more than 10 to 20 pieces of candy or gum per day may cause this effect. This is the only known drawback to xylitol.

It is important to note that studies suggest that sugarless gums made of another sugar substitute called sorbitol do not seem to have the same preventive effect. Sorbitol can increase saliva flow which secondarily strengthens teeth, explains another analyst. But there are no studies that directly show that sorbitol-based chewing gums can strengthen the teeth.

How does Chewing Sugarless Gum save money?

In a PR Newswire post regarding a Majestic Drug survey, we learn some interesting statistics that may not shock you, but will inform you.

One in six Americans experienced a dental emergency in the past year.

Seventy-two percent of Americans have fillings, caps, or crowns, and 23 percent of dental emergencies relate to these restorations.

The survey revealed that out of a thousand people, respondents with an annual income under $35K had a higher instance of dental emergency than those with an income exceeding $100K.

Prevention is always better than cure. Brushing one's teeth and scheduling
regular visits to the dentist are primary in preventing dental and gum disease, but chewing sugarless gum will strengthen teeth and assist in preventing cavities. That, in turn, adds to a person's savings. 

For example, an Orbit gum 12 pack with 15 strips in each pack cost = $15. It is 9 cents a strip. If you chew 5 pieces for an average 25 days, it cost just $11 a month and $132. It is far better than spending $150 - $250 for fillings, pulling teeth and more for pain relivers as well. Think about it!

What should I do?

As reported by npr.org, Milgrom, dentist at the University of Washington and his colleagues have studied how much xylitol is needed to actually knock out bacteria and prevent cavities. And he has two pieces of advice.

First: Read the ingredient list on the gum package. If xylitol is the first ingredient, then there's probably enough of it to be effective. (below list Sorbitol is the first ingredient and not really sugarless gum)



And second: Chew a lot of it.  "You have to chew at least two pieces, three times a day to have an effect," says Milgrom.

This may sound like an inordinate amount of chewing, but in Finland kids have really gotten used to it. The Finns have been chewing xylitol gum for years as part of a public health initiative to reduce cavities. And Finnish researchers have documented a preventive effect in numerous studies going back to the early 1970s at the University of Turku.

Throughout Scandinavia, xylitol products are widely available, from lozenges and toothpastes to chocolate and candy gummy bears, says Ramos-Gomez, a pediatric dentist at U.C.LA.

Sugarless chewing gums are not only good for you but also good for your pocket. And of course, dental professionals have one more recommendation. Watch your diet. Make certain your toothpaste includes a fluoride ingredient.

Source: Last month(Sep) was dental month and npr(http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=106347234 ) aired an interesting story on chewing sugarless gum  triggering me write this blog after good amount of research. Thanks to NPR.ORG.