Chewing sugarless gums is known to be beneficial for your teeth. From increasing saliva flow to preventing cavities, there are many advantages of eating sugarless gum. However, your orthodontist will advise you against nibbling on gum after you receive your braces. Still, many people wonder, “Can you chew gum with braces?”
The truth is, chewing gum with braces has both advantages and disadvantages. Therefore, it comes down to this: is it worth suffering the disadvantages for a few benefits? In this blog, we will mention the pros and cons of eating gum with braces.
The Pros & Cons of Chewing Gums With Braces
One thing is for sure, whether you wear braces or not, gum with sugar is a big no-no. This is because the sugar present in these gums can result in bacteria coating your teeth. Consequently, you might suffer from tooth decay, cavities, and gum disease. Hence, choose sugarless gums for improved oral health.
You should consult your orthodontist if you want to chew gum with braces. An experienced professional can guide you better on if this is right for you.
Here are a few reasons why people prefer chewing gum with their dental appliances:
- Saliva production increases when you chew sugarless gum. This is good for your dental health since the saliva neutralizes the acids that form when foods and drinks react with plaque bacteria, washing it away.
- Some studies claim chewing gum might decrease the pain and impact that might occur due to braces.
Despite the benefits, dental specialists don’t recommend mixing gum with braces. The reasons are as follows:
- Even if you chew sugarless gum, it can damage your braces. Since the gum is sticky, it can get easily stuck in the brackets, wires, or rubber bands in the braces.
- Eating gum could bend the wires in your braces, even if they are flexible. As a result, the effectiveness of your braces in straightening teeth reduces. This could cost you additional weeks of treatment.
- You might have the urge to remove the rubber bands when chewing gum, which can prolong the treatment.
Chewing Gum With Invisalign
Invisalign is becoming popular due to the many useful features it has. For instance, you can remove them when you are eating or drinking something. Therefore, if you are eating chewing gum, make sure to remove your invisalign before doing so. Otherwise, it can get stuck inside the clear aligner. Moreover, chewing gums produces excess saliva that could stain the aligners and teeth.
Even though you can remove aligners while chewing gums, make sure you don’t do it often. Your orthodontist must have advised you to keep the invisalign on for a recommended time. If you remove the aligners more often than you should, it could affect the treatment.
The Final Takeaway
You can chew gum with braces, but you shouldn’t. It can snap braces, affect treatment, and more. Therefore, consult your orthodontist before trying to chew gum with your braces or invisalign on.
Vintage Smile Family Dentistry has a team of dental experts and orthodontists that can effectively treat your oral health issues. Drop by our dental clinic at 10300 Louetta Rd Ste 132, Houston, TX, 77070, United States. You can also dial (281) 251-7770 to talk to our team.