National Chewing Gum Day: does sugar-free gum after lunch help teeth?

Today is National Chewing Gum Day, and it lands right at lunchtime. If you cannot brush after eating at work or school, the American Dental Association has a useful fact to share: chewing sugarless gum for 20 minutes after a meal can help protect your teeth.

The benefit comes from saliva. Chewing makes your mouth produce more of it, and according to the ADA's MouthHealthy site, that extra saliva helps wash away food, neutralizes acids made by bacteria, and carries calcium and phosphate that help strengthen tooth enamel.

The kind of gum matters. Gum sweetened with sugar feeds the bacteria that make acid, which works against you. The ADA suggests looking for gum with its Seal of Acceptance, which is sweetened with ingredients such as xylitol, sorbitol, mannitol or aspartame that do not cause cavities.

There are limits. The ADA is clear that gum adds to good habits and does not replace them. Brushing twice a day with fluoride toothpaste, cleaning between your teeth daily and seeing a dentist regularly are still the foundation. The ADA also notes that chewing a lot or very hard can bring on jaw pain or headaches, and it warns against viral products that claim to reshape your jaw.

If you want to try it, keep a pack of sugar-free gum with the ADA Seal at your desk or in your bag, and chew a piece after lunch today instead of reaching for a mint with sugar.