How Does Chewing Gum Affect Your Oral Health?

By Esther Edeh, B.Sc -BCHLifestyle

Last updated on April 21st, 2024 at 09:01 pm

5 minutes read.   

chewing gum

    

In this article

Can Chewing Gum affect your oral health?

Opt for a Better Alternative

Conclusion

Overview

The world market for chewing gum is estimated to be 560,000 tons per year, representing approximately US $5 billion. Some 374 billion pieces of chewing gum are sold worldwide every year, representing 187 billion hours of gum-chewing if each piece of gum is chewed for 30 minutes.

As of 2022, the global market for Gums (Chewing Gum and Bubble Gum) is estimated at US$33.1 Billion and is projected to reach a revised size of US$48.4 Billion by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 4.9% over the period 2022-2030.

Chewing gum can thus be expected to have an influence on oral health. Some manufacturers normally label their chewing gum as “safe for teeth” or “tooth-friendly”.

The provision of such information on chewing gum labels has been proven beneficial in informing consumers.

Every average adult has once chewed gum but some people have formed a habitat of that and made it part of their lifestyle.

But the big question is “Can Chewing Gum affect your oral health negatively”?

Can Chewing Gum affect your oral health?

The dozens of varieties of chewing gum on store shelves today contain an array of new ingredients, bringing bolder colors, longer-lasting flavor … and a whole host of new health risks.

1. Gut Destruction

We can credit Hippocrates with coining medical breakthrough concepts like food is medicine and all diseases begin in the gut. But even he probably couldn’t see this coming.

Chewing gum manufacturers have been turning to an ingredient called titanium dioxide for years. Now used in nanoparticle form, this extremely tiny metal compound is posing some serious emerging health threats.

This is probably the scariest reason to avoid gum.

Generally recognized as safe by the Food and Drug Administration, this compound is often used in nanoparticle form to create a bright white pigmentation in paints, plastics, and chewing gum.

It’s also found in tons of other foods, like candies and powdered white sugar (donuts!), and even bread. Although it’s allowed on store shelves and considered safe, scientists are starting to paint a different picture.

In fact, a 2017 study published in the journal NanoImpact shows that nano-titanium oxide ingredients like titanium dioxide can severely impact gut health.

Researchers exposed small intestinal cells to a meal’s worth of nanoparticles over four hours (acute exposure) or three meal’s worth over five days (chronic exposure). What they found is a bit shocking.

Chronic exposure to titanium dioxide nanoparticles in the diet may lead to:

  • Weakened the intestinal barrier
  • Slowed down metabolism
  • Triggered inflammation
  • Weakened the gut’s defense against pathogens
  • Blocked nutrient absorption of key nutrients like iron, zinc, and fatty acids

The nanoparticles actually blunted the effectiveness of the small intestines’ microvilli. Microvilli are tiny fingerlike extensions on the surface of small intestinal cells. Its work is to absorb nutrients your bodies need to survive.

People also face this type of titanium dioxide exposure through toothpaste, and it’s even sometimes used to create a smoother texture in chocolates and to create a brighter appearance in skim milk.

In 2012, Arizona State University found that titanium dioxide nanoparticles turned up in five percent of products tested, including Twinkies and mayonnaise samples. Under public pressure, Dunkin Donuts stopped using nano-titanium dioxide in its donuts’ powdered sugar in 2015.

To avoid foods rich in titanium oxide nanoparticles you should avoid processed foods, especially candy(different types of sweets).  That is where you see a lot of nanoparticles.

Beyond that, many chewing gum products contain emulsifiers to retain flavor and keep gum from sticking to your teeth. 

The trouble is, many emulsifiers act almost like detergents in your digestive tract, throwing off the natural balance of your gut flora. In fact, research in lab animals suggests certain emulsifiers used as food additives could contribute to colon cancer development.

2. Migraines

For children and adolescents dealing with vicious migraines and tension headaches, the natural solution could be right under their noses: Stop chewing gum.

A small study published in Pediatric Neurology discovered that nixing gum led to significant improvements in 26 out of 30 adolescents in the study.

Amazingly, 19 of them experienced complete headache resolution. No pills, no treatments — they just stopped chewing gum.

If you’re trying to figure out how to get rid of migraine naturally, your gum habit is a great place to start.

In tweens and teens, common proven headache triggers include stress, lack of sleep, hot weather, video games, noise, sunlight, smoking, skipping meals, and menstruation.

Now we can add gum to the list. Researchers aren’t sure if it’s artificial sweeteners or a TMJ issue related to gum and headaches, but the good news is we can stop many headaches with this simple step.

3. Sinister Sweeteners

You’d expect fake sweeteners like aspartame in diet soda, but what about chewing gum?

Come on! Different chewing gum companies turn to ingredients like aspartame, sorbitol, high-fructose corn syrup, acesulfame K, sucralose, and xylitol. Some actually use multiple fake sweeteners in a single gum product.

These ingredients are linked to serious health issues like tooth decay, liver fat buildup, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, leukemia, lymphoma, kidney tumors, and more.

Acesulfame potassium, also known as acesulfame K, is among the most common artificial sweeteners detected in breast milk. That’s troubling since the ingredient is also linked to thyroid dysfunction.

Sucralose harms the gut, throwing off healthy levels of enzymes and disrupting the microbiome.

While xylitol and sorbitol may seem more natural, these processed sugar alcohols aren’t absorbed well by the body and cause an allergic reaction for those who have a sensitivity to it.

Related: How Does the Fluoride in Toothpaste Affect Your Health?

Related: List of Foods Additives that Promote Cancer

And then there are the digestive sugar alcohol and xylitol side effects, including bloating, gas, cramping, and diarrhea. And get this: Its laxative effect is so pronounced that it’s actually part of the chemical makeup for many over-the-counter laxatives.

Special note to dog owners: Xylitol and other sugar alcohol-based sweeteners are life-threatening toxins to dogs. Be mindful of breath mints, candies, sugar-free gum, frozen desserts, and other foods when your pets are around.

Opt for a Better Alternative

Bad breath is a good excuse to reach for gum, but as you can see, the side effects are bad news, especially for your gut.

Luckily, there are better ways to cope. After ruling out potential underlying issues for bad breath, you can turn to these things to naturally improve your breath:

  • Eat parsley.
  • Stay hydrated always, especially tap into the benefits of lemon water.
  • Learn how to safely tap into peppermint oil benefits. (Not recommended for young children.)
  • Learn about oil pulling with coconut oil.
  • Avoid grains and added sugars.

Conclusion

The ingredients used to make chewing gum include fake dyes and flavors. But perhaps most concerning is nanoparticle-sized titanium dioxide, an ingredient used in everything from gum, candy, and bread to paint and plastics.

Nano-titanium dioxide helps create a vibrant white color, but scientists now show that it can impact small intestinal cells in a way that blocks the absorption of key nutrients, slows the metabolism, increases inflammation, and weakens the gut’s ability to protect against dangerous pathogens.

Chewing gum is also linked to migraines and tension headaches in children and adolescents.

There are still some chewing gum companies that rely on old-fashioned, real-food ingredients, but they are sometimes harder to come by.

I hope you get the value worth your time, I appreciate the time you spend with me. Leave a comment below if you find this article helpful and don’t forget to drop your question, opinion, or criticism if any. Cheers!

MEDICAL DISCLAIMER

The content provided in Living Good is for informational and educational purposes only. It’s not intended to provide medical advice or take the place of such advice or treatment from a personal doctor. All readers/viewers of this content are advised to consult their qualified health professionals regarding specific health questions. Living Good Blog takes no responsibility for possible health consequences of any person(s) reading or following the information in this educational content. Viewers of this content, especially those taking prescription or over-the-counter medication, should consult their physicians before beginning any nutrition, supplement, or lifestyle program.

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