Harm of chewing gum for teeth. How bad is chewing gum? Is there any benefit

Many have heard about the dangers of chewing gum. We try to buy it less often, as it is believed that it spoils the stomach and interferes with thought processes. However, these claims are not entirely true. It turns out that chewing gum can bring not only harm, but also benefit.

In fact, chewing gum does not spoil the stomach, but helps it. It promotes salivation, which increases our digestive activity, making it faster and easier to digest everything we eat. It is only important not to overdo it over time, otherwise, having processed all the food, the stomach will begin to digest itself.

Another plus of chewing gum is the strengthening of the mandibular joint and gums. Due to the fact that most of the food does not require active chewing, our mandibular joint is not sufficiently trained and developed. To keep the oral cavity in working tone, dentists advise using chewing gum every time after eating: starting from 3-5 minutes of active chewing and gradually increasing the interval. Of course, this advice only applies if there is no inflammation or damage to the lower jaw joint.

Do not forget that chewing gum freshens breath. Perhaps the duration of action will not be as long as the advertisement promises, but still it is better than the smell of freshly eaten salad. As they say in the same advertisement: "Fresh breath makes it easier to understand."

The rubber band also promotes concentration. During the Korean War, American troops were specially supplied with delicious chewing gum so that the soldier could perform his task with maximum concentration. According to British scientists, the use of chewing gum can affect the development of thinking and memory. Our teachers believe that chewing gum only distracts the attention of schoolchildren and prevents them from concentrating on the subject.

This begs the question, do you really need to buy chewing gum for your child? On the one hand, strengthening the jaw joint and improving digestion will not hurt, on the other hand, this can be done in other ways.

The digestion of a growing organism that has not yet been disturbed does not require additional stimulation of salivation, and it is much more useful to strengthen the joint by eating carrots or apples. Rather, chewing gum can seriously harm children: a gum accidentally swallowed during a game, stuck in the throat, esophagus or intestines, will bring a lot of trouble. If your child cannot imagine his life without bubble gum, then chewing candy, which gradually melts in the mouth, can become a worthy alternative.

Chewing gum in most cases does not contain sugar, which is positioned as an advantage. That's right, sugar consumption leads to tooth decay. But are artificial sweeteners really that good and harmless?

Natural sweeteners are almost identical in terms of calories and effects on the body to regular sugar. Synthetic ones can negatively affect internal organs, many of them are toxic.

In addition to sugar substitutes, chewing gum contains a lot of preservatives and flavors. And believe me, they have nothing to do with wild berries or bananas. Have you ever tried to ask about the composition of chewing gum?

Glycerin is considered relatively safe when used in small amounts. However, it can provoke diseases of the cardiovascular system.

Antioxidant E 320 is derived from petroleum and is banned in some countries. Negatively affects the kidneys, liver, stomach, gland, reproductive function. It may also have a carcinogenic effect.

The sweetener can cause vomiting, diarrhea, hives. It irritates the stomach and provokes kidney dysfunction. Strongly not recommended for patients with diabetes.

The sweetener aspartame causes headache, depression, anxiety, asthma, fatigue, blindness, aggressiveness, epilepsy, memory impairment. This sweetener is also not recommended for women as well. May have a teratogenic effect, ie. cause malformations in the fetus.

Children under 3 years old should not chew gum at all. It is much better to replace it with natural gummies.

The sweetener acesulfame has a carcinogenic effect. In animals, it caused tumors of the lungs, mammary gland, leukemia.

And this is not a complete list of substances that may be part of chewing gum. As you can see, there is little good in them.

What is the harmful process of prolonged chewing

When chewing gum, a large amount of saliva is released. Usually this happens when eating food, saliva softens it. In the absence of food in the oral cavity, an abundance of saliva is swallowed and enters the stomach.

Once in the stomach, saliva reduces the level of acidity. In response, the stomach begins to produce more gastric juice. This leads to peptic ulcers and gastritis, which is why you should refrain from chewing gum even on an empty stomach.

Frequent gum chewing can cause temporomandibular joint dysfunction and even malocclusion.

It may sound funny, but chewing gum is psychologically addictive. For many people, constant chewing is comforting and reassuring.

There are still benefits to the oral cavity from chewing gum. The safest option is to chew for no more than 15 minutes. Use chewing gum only for hygienic purposes, when it is really necessary.

When buying chewing gum, it is worth considering what is the harm of chewing gum, and what is the benefit. Snacks while traveling in the subway or car, on the street or in a cafe. There are situations when it is not possible to brush your teeth after eating.

Ahead is a business meeting at work or a date and you need a pleasant breath.

Composition of chewing gum

Plunging into the past, you understand that since ancient times people have been chewing something: earlier this chewing mass was made from resin or a mixture of leaves. Various types of chewing gum helped to cleanse food debris, strengthened the gums, and developed chewing muscles.

The first chewing gum in production was made from the resin of coniferous trees. The product did not receive wide popularity - it had an unattractive appearance, needles from needles came across in the gum. The composition changed, new technologies were created, new substances were added. To create an attractive look and taste, each manufacturer was looking for the perfect recipe.

The basis of modern chewing gum is rubber or latex. In order for chewing gum to have an attractive appearance and an alluring aroma, sugar or its substitutes, flavors of natural and artificial origin, various dyes and flavor enhancers are used. With prolonged use, artificially derived chemical additives adversely affect the body, provoking complications or causing problems in various organs of life.

Compound:

1. Sugar. A substance that can provoke the development of caries. Bacteria in the mouth, digesting sugar, form. The strength of tooth enamel under the influence of acid decreases.
2. Xylitol, sorbitol. Natural sweeteners used in the manufacture of products for diabetics. These are safe nutritional supplements, but their constant use leads to bloating, gastrointestinal disorders.
3. Aspartame. A synthetic sweetener with a sweet taste, it is a source of phenylalanine. This substance, getting into the body, leads to a violation of the hormonal balance. Aspartame tends to accumulate in the body.
4. Titanium dioxide. A dye used to make chewing gum white. There is no information how dangerous it is, but experiments prove that titanium dioxide can provoke the development of cancer.
5. Glycerol. It is considered a relatively safe substance, however, due to the ability to draw water from the body.

This is far from the complete composition of modern chewing gum. Manufacturers add various food additives to the composition of their product, based on the goal to be achieved: attractive appearance, unique taste, extensibility for inflating bubbles.

How bad is chewing gum

From TV screens they assure that chewing gum is good for teeth and gives freshness to breath, it is recommended to chew it between meals. And how harmful is it to chew it constantly?

Consequences of long-term use:

• Contributes to tooth decay. If you chew gum often and for a long time, there is pressure on fillings, crowns. The gum sticks to the surface of the teeth, destroying them. Constant chewing provokes the development of dysfunction of the temporomandibular joint, in children it disrupts the bite.
• Harms the stomach. In the process of chewing gum, saliva is actively secreted, and the body receives a signal about additional production of gastric juice. If you chew it on an empty stomach, this process can provoke the development of ulcers and gastritis of the stomach.
• Harmful to pregnant women. Food additives that are part of the gum provoke overexcitation and death of nerve cells and pose a great danger to the development of the fetus.
• Reduces concentration. Gum affects the commission of unconscious actions, deterioration of short-term memory.
• Not recommended for breastfeeding. The chemicals contained in chewing gum, getting into the mother's milk, adversely affect the newborn baby.

Chewing gum does not contain substances that directly have harmful effects on the body. Harm to health can be caused by uncontrolled and immoderate chewing.

Benefits of chewing gum

If the harm of chewing gum is so great, why do adults and children buy it. Chewing gum, when used in moderation, really benefits. It is worth following simple rules.

1. Chewing gum is really able to clean the mouth from food. When there is no way to use a toothbrush, chewing gum will help out. To get a positive effect, it is enough to chew it for five minutes.
2. When chewing gum, the gums are massaged, and periodontal disease is prevented.
3. Use it after meals. The chewing process promotes the production of saliva and stimulates the digestion process.
4. Let not for long and not as effective as the advertisement says, but mint pads give freshness to the breath, make it pleasant.
5. Measured chewing calms the nervous system, helps with stress.
6. Chewing gum is not a treat, to maintain oral hygiene, you must follow the measures and use it only when necessary.

gum addiction

People who often experience stress are advised to chew on something. If you have trouble eating high-calorie foods, this can lead to weight gain. The calorie content of chewing gum is scanty, the high-calorie sugar component is replaced with less high-calorie sweeteners. Chemical additives contain virtually no calories.

Constant chewing brings confidence and calms the nerves. It has an elastic consistency and the feature does not dissolve over time. This contributes to measured and prolonged chewing and can provoke an addiction to chewing gum. Children, not realizing the harm of chewing gum, chew it all day, and with constant chewing, attention becomes dull, the thinking process slows down. The child cannot concentrate, academic performance worsens.

What happens if you swallow gum

It happens that an adult, thinking, can swallow chewing gum. How dangerous is it and what can happen? There is an opinion that swallowed chewing gum attaches to the walls of the stomach for a long time, and when it comes out it creates a blockage in the intestines. This is a myth, a piece of plastic will simply be dissolved by gastric juice in a few days.

Video: what chewing gum consists of (harm)

Gum is a common product, loved and used by people of all ages. It seems to be a technological innovation. In fact, chewing gum has an interesting, centuries-old history.

History of chewing gum

People have long used the gifts of nature for various purposes, knowing their beneficial and harmful properties. Minerals and insects were used. Plant roots have been useful for oral hygiene.

Maya Indians used ancient chewing gum, it was a substance made from rubber juice - chicle. There is evidence that people in northern Europe used birch resin to relieve toothache. The Aztecs had norms of behavior associated with this remedy. Unmarried women and children were allowed to chew whenever they wanted, married women and widows at home, and men were ordered to hide.

People have known about the product since antiquity. The inhabitants of North America adopted this useful experience from the Indians.

Important! Chewing gum in its usual form appeared in 1848. September 23 is officially recognized as her birthday.

At this time, the Curtis brothers came up with the idea of ​​​​mixing pine resin with beeswax and selling this invention. The chewing gum was a good success. This allowed to increase production volumes in 1850. Then paraffin flavors were added to the composition, and 4 brands of chewing gums were produced.

In 1869, dentist William Semple patented chewing gum made from rubber. It included: charcoal, chalk, flavorings. He assured that chewing gum has properties that are useful for teeth and is durable. Due to unclear circumstances, the product did not pass to mass production.

According to legend, in 1869, a general who fled from Mexico met the inventor Thomas Adams and sold chicle (rubber). He failed to create a substitute for rubber. Then the inventor boiled rubber and made chewing gum, which was quickly sold out in local shops.

He then introduced licorice flavoring. Black Jack was born, the first flavored chewing gum. In 1871, Adams received a patent for an apparatus for mass production of a product. In 1888, Tutti Frutti appeared. Pharmacist John Colgan suggested adding flavoring to the mixture before adding sugar. Now the smell and taste stayed longer.

The seller, William Wrigley, noticed that the gum was in demand by buyers and decided to improve the manufacturing method. In 1892 they produced "Wrigley's Spearmint", a year later - "Wrigley's Juicy Fruit". These types of chewing gum hold the first lines of world sales even now. Wrigley came up with the idea to add mint, powdered sugar and other flavors, to produce gum in different shapes.

Important! In 1928, Walter Diemer invented a chewing gum with an interesting feature that makes it easy to blow bubbles: "bubble gum".

The researcher improved the product of Frank Flir, which was not in demand. Chewing gum really liked the children as entertainment. Competitions were held among her fans. In 1994, they set a world record: a bubble of 30.8 cm was inflated. Then they did not think about the benefits, properties or dangers of chewing gum.

After 1945, thanks to the soldiers, the whole world learned about it. In the USSR, there were only Soviet analogues that did not have pleasant properties, in ugly packaging. In the 1990s, foreign chewing gum wrappers were collected and used for games.

Composition of chewing gum

Chewing gum contains:

• base: rubber or other synthetic polymers - 20-30%;
• food sugar or sweeteners - 60%;
• flavor enhancers;
• stabilizers (more often - glycerin);
• aroma enhancers;
• emulsifiers (based on egg yolk);
• dyes;
• thickener E414;
• lemon acid;
• titanium dioxide (provides a snow-white color);
• preservative (antioxidant).

It has changed a lot compared to the ancient chewing gum. These are the main components. The content of the listed substances in popular types of chewing gum:

Is chewing gum good?

You might think that its properties are extremely harmful. The media actively promotes the positive effect of chewing gum on teeth.

Active salivation

Microbial colonies form on the teeth within 2 hours after brushing. They process the remnants of food, while forming acids that destroy the enamel. The result is caries. During chewing, saliva is reflexively released, which has a slightly alkaline ph and contains mineral components. The properties of chewing gum really strengthen tooth enamel, neutralize the environment, but not due to its composition.

Intestinal motility and secretion are reflexively activated. A person recovers faster after an operation on the intestines and moves on to everyday food thanks to chewing gum.

Cleansing the mouth and teeth

Important! Teeth after chewing gum become cleaner. Having a viscous consistency, it attaches to itself the remnants of food, contributing to cleansing, but not in all cases.

The teeth have a pronounced anatomy - deep pits, may be crowded. Then food and plaque clog in there. But according to dentists, the benefits of the properties of chewing gum after eating are.

Jaw strengthening

You can use chewing gum as an unusual simulator. This is a useful feature. When chewing, the load on the teeth and their ligaments falls, then on the jawbone and muscles. This useful property helps to develop the maxillofacial skeleton in children.

Helps to calm down

The chewing gum has a pleasant taste and a cooling effect. It does not lose consistency, volume, does not dissolve, not only freshens breath, but helps to calm down, the effect of the action itself has been scientifically proven. There are many health benefits of chewing gum. But there is also harm from it.

How bad is chewing gum

A product that is useful in composition can be harmful, not to mention chewing gum.

The emergence of addiction

People deal with stress in different ways. Someone smokes, eats, someone uses chewing gum. There are studies confirming the emergence of dependence on it.

Breakage of prostheses and loss of fillings

According to studies, there have been cases of unpleasant consequences due to chewing gum, but they are rare. If you have all the teeth, the filling is made correctly, from high-quality material, then it (or the prosthesis) will last a long time. But they can absorb dyes and flavors from chewing gum, which reduces the life of the structure. Gum is not recommended for people with braces or plates to align their teeth. When chewing, structural elements may bend, the briquette will peel off or the product will stick to them, which will worsen oral hygiene. This will harm, make it difficult to heal.

poison effect

To determine the presence of this property in chewing gum, you need to study the composition in detail. The basis is synthetic polymers. Effects on the body have not been identified.

Glycerin (E422) draws water out of tissues. There is little of it in chewing gum, but it is used in the composition of frequently consumed products: bread, confectionery.

Sugar does not cause tooth decay, but is a breeding ground for bacteria. Some use sweeteners - sorbitol. This substance is a laxative. Aspartame can cause headaches, allergies. Xylitol and maltitol in chewing gum are relatively safe to consume.

Fragrances, both natural and synthetic, can cause allergies. Flavor enhancers in long-term chewing harm the taste buds. Ordinary wholesome food seems unpleasant when used for a long time.

The dyes contained in chewing gum are carcinogenic. Carcinogenicity - the ability to cause cellular mutations. So far, there has not been a single case of cancer or other neoplasm due to chewing gum.

Harm of chewing gum for children

Attention! There is a risk of asphyxia (suffocation) in a dream, if accidentally swallowed. All muscles are relaxed, and chewing gum can accidentally enter the larynx when taking a deep breath.

Children are very curious, they can give each other food to try. There is a risk of transmission from one child to another through saliva. He can become infected himself if he leaves a gum somewhere or drops it, and then chews it.

Do not give chewing gum to a child instead of food. This is harm. Saliva and gastric juice containing hydrochloric acid are reflexively secreted. Since the food does not enter the stomach, the acid will begin to act on its mucous membrane, causing gastritis. This disease causes problems with digestion and the absorption of beneficial nutrients from food, which is especially bad for a growing child's body.

Facial asymmetry

Warning! There is a possibility of facial asymmetry in children and adolescents who often use chewing gum during periods of changing teeth and active jaw growth.

With frequent and prolonged chewing, especially on one side, there is an overload of the muscles and their excessive development, which is negative for the growth of the jaws. They may be underdeveloped or overdeveloped. One half may be larger or longer than the other. These are the pronounced effects of excessive and prolonged use of chewing gum, which are harmful.

Hence the problems with bite: crowding, improper closing of teeth, maxillofacial pathologies, especially in combination with bad habits (biting a pen, pencil, nails). Their signs and consequences: problems with the temporomandibular joint (TMJ), changes in the profile and configuration of the face, even problems with posture. But the benefits of chewing gum for a person are not just advertising.

How to chew gum without harm to health

It will not replace brushing and toothpaste. You can use chewing gum after eating no more than 10 minutes. Rinse your mouth first to avoid harm to your teeth. The properties of chewing gum after eating can be used for weight loss, as they stimulate the secretion of gastric juice, and food is better absorbed. There is an elastic band designed specifically for weight loss.

You can not replace chewing gum with a full meal. It will do harm. There are alternative options for replacing chewing gum that are more beneficial.

What can replace chewing gum

Advice! To kill bad breath, you can chew a mint leaf, coffee beans, cardamom, ginger root, parsley.

You can use mints, dragees, mouth sprays, hygienic rinses. The question of their properties and harm to the child is decided after consultation with the doctor. For a healthy snack, yogurt, dried fruits, fresh fruits are suitable. For the development of the child's chewing apparatus, solid foods will be useful: carrots, apples.

Culture and chewing gum

In the 1990s, chewing anywhere and everywhere was fashionable in Russia. But no one likes an interlocutor who does this during a conversation or in a theater. It's uncivilized. An active life forces you to snack on the go, but everything should be in place, chewing gum should not be abused.

How to make chewing gum at home

Children love chewing gum. To avoid harm, you can learn how to cook a healthy product at home.

Advice! You can make treats from your favorite foods.

Recipe for chewing gum, useful for children of all ages:

• choose the juice of your choice, add sugar and heat;
• add to gelatin, mix and strain through a sieve;
• pour the mixture into molds and leave in the refrigerator for 6-8 hours.

Chewing candy is ready. It will resemble marmalade, have both a pleasant taste and useful properties.

Making chewing gum from fruits or berries:

• peel products, cut;
• pour boiling water, cook for 20 minutes over low heat;
• when everything is boiled, drain the compote, add sugar and gelatin (dissolved in water);
• you can use molds or put the gum in a container for solidification;
• refrigerate for a few hours.

Useful chewing gum is ready. You can take a snack with you.

Treat recipe for older kids. Chewing gum based on Gum base, which is purchased in the store and via the Internet.

• 1 st. l. heat the gum base in a water bath, stirring occasionally;
• pour liquid honey or syrup - 1 tsp;
• mix;
• add to the mixture 1 tsp. flavoring, 1/2 tsp. spoons of powdered sugar, dye (optional);
• sprinkle a table or cutting board with powdered sugar;
• lay out hot chewing gum;
• during cooling and after you need to roll it in powder;
• form a sausage, cut into pieces.

The taste and properties of the finished chewing gum will turn out to be similar to the purchased one. When dyes and flavors are added, only the absence of a bright wrapper will distinguish them.

Conclusion

The benefits and harms of chewing gum are a complex issue, but if you follow simple rules, its use will be useful. She masks problems. First of all, proper care with the help of chewing gum properties for the oral cavity will help maintain the beauty of a smile and health for many years.

Was this article helpful to you?

The most favorite and desired product for children, the undisputed winner in the “tasty” nomination, is, of course, chewing gum. Chewing gum (or as it is scientifically called - a culinary product from an elastic, but not suitable for ingestion basis) after a while turns into a tasteless piece of gum, which then must be spit out or thrown away. Many are interested in how much gum can you chew without harm to the teeth and stomach? Before answering a similar question, let's talk about chewing gum in a little more detail.

Chewing gum: the history of creation

The history of the appearance of the first chewing gum goes back to the Mayan tribes who chewed rubber. There were also American Indians who consumed resin from coniferous trees. But the official production of chewing gum in approximately the form in which we are used to seeing it (portions wrapped in a wrapper) began in America in the middle of the 19th century of the last century. The year of birth of chewing gum was 1848. Moreover, initially chewing gum was served as a medicinal product, sold in pharmacies. It was only in the second half of the 19th century that chewing gum received fragrant and sweet additives, after which its popularity grew sharply, the famous Tutti-Frutti and Wrigley appeared.

How useful is chewing gum?

Let's list the well-known advantages of chewing gum, why we love it so much. Here how chewing gum is useful:

1. Chewing gum is fragrant and tasty;
2. It is beautifully packaged and often contains interesting inserts and catchy wrappers;
3. It can be chewed for a long time;
4. You can blow bubbles out of it, bursting them loudly and juicy after that;
5. Chewing gum helps to clean the mouth and teeth from pieces of food after eating;
6. It improves breathing;
7. Chewing gum betrays its owner some coolness.

Yes Yes! The chewing child, as strange as it sounds, for some reason imagines himself to be the coolest child in the world. Perhaps this is due to the fact that it is not often possible to chew sweet gum - parents forbid it.

Gum. Negative sides

But chewing gum also has obvious disadvantages. What is the harm of chewing gum:

1. Chewing gum for a long time damages your teeth. In addition to the notorious caries that occurs from sweets that can ruin teeth (here it should be noted, however, that chewing gum manufacturers also produce gum options that do not contain sugar), chewing gum negatively affects fillings - when chewing, the risk of fillings falling out increases;
2. Chewing gum eaten on an empty stomach can have a bad effect on the state of the stomach, because when chewing, gastric juice is released, but food is not supplied;
3. Chewing gum in the presence of other people is not ethical (in particular, you should not chew at school, in the classroom at the institute and when communicating with other people);
4. Chewing gum can be easily forgotten during spitting out or accidentally swallowed;
5. Sometimes there is nowhere to throw away the used chewing gum, and then some uncultured people, instead of wrapping it in a napkin or, at worst, sticking it behind the ear, sculpt the used chewing gum under the table, on the chair, on the rails in the subway, or simply throw it somewhere under their feet .

How long can you chew gum?

So how much gum can you chew by time? First, and this is recommended by manufacturers, as soon as the taste of gum disappears, it should be immediately spit out. And with different chewing gums from different manufacturers, the taste keeps and disappears in different ways. Secondly, we must not forget that long chewing on an empty stomach is unhealthy. Optimal gum chewing time: 5 - 10 minutes. After that, it is recommended to remove it from the mouth.

However, no matter what the disadvantages of chewing gum are, despite the fact that we all like it very much and it also has quite a few advantages, we will not stop chewing it, as if imitating the experience of our ancestors, because it is no secret that even in ancient Greece people chewed the resin of trees to give their breath a pleasant aroma, and why are we worse?

Finally, let's remember a few popular gums from abroad from our childhood in the 90s: Turbo (with great liners that we played and collected), Tipi Tip (with a picture of a weirdo with a long nose), Donald (also very popular in the Soviet Union), Love is… (still in production), Boomer (on the wrapper - a man in a superhero costume with a long leg), Pink Pantera, Lazer. And here are domestic hits: Orange, Strawberry, Coffee aroma, Mint, etc.

Updated: April 7, 2016 by: Punisher