When you have braces on your teeth, the first thing that you will be asked to avoid are certain kinds of food. They are sugary, syrupy and sticky stuff. Out of these one of the things that you do need to avoid is chewing gum. Braces and Chewing Gum certainly don’t go together.
At the same time there are dentists who recommend that you do chew gum with your braces on but the sugarless variety. This will keep the blood flowing into your mouth and enhance saliva production which will stop your mouth from going dry.
Another thing that you need to keep in mind with braces on is that any kind of sticky stuff will make it come off therefore chewing gum the thin kind is alright but not the thick variety like bubble gum as they can stick on and cause harm.
There are several sugar free chewing gums available in the market that will be extremely good for you. Ensure that you choose sugar free gum and you will be fine.
In fact, people with braces on will vouch for it that they have been chewing gum all the time and have not noticed any difference that it makes to them having braces on. The sugar free variety are made in such a way that they do not stick on to your teeth and that works out absolutely fine even when you have braces on.
However, be careful when you chew so as not to hamper the braces especially the wire parts such as bands and ligatures. In case you were to harm any part of the braces then it will be unnecessary dental expenditure. Therefore, judiciously decide for yourself whether you should be chewing gum in the first place. Ensure that you do not chew really hard. Also, there are some chewing gums that contain xylitol which actually goes on to decrease the chances of cavity in one’s mouth. There is also the thing that one should be careful with braces and gum as the wires can bend easily, chewing too much gum can make the orthodontic bands loosen up and come off, and the elastics might not work well.
Another thing about braces and chewing gum is that if you have TMJ then it might aggravate the situation if you chew gum. There are also certain kinds of braces and orthodontic appliances that might get damaged by the use of chewing gum. Therefore, the best thing is to ask your dentist who will be able to let you know whether the use of chewing gum is going to be right for you or not. That will ensure that you are doing the right thing. At the same time, moderate amounts of chewing gum will work fine for you.
If you are healthy, have no other dental concerns and cavities and have the right kind of braces and orthodontic appliances that is okay with chewing gum then go ahead.