Get chewing and save your teeth!

Yes, we all may brush our teeth for two minutes twice a day with a fluoride toothpaste, but between the first and last brush our teeth can come under a constant attack if we don't not give them time to recover. So, unless you can brush your teeth during the day there has to be other options. 

Our teeth are at risk of acid attack after we eat and drink anything, especially if what we consume has sugar in it and I know that I often turn to a quick sugar rush when I feel hungry as it is the easiest and often tastiest option.

This acid is produced by plaque bacteria, and the sugars in our food and drink, which slowly dissolves the enamel and dentine of the tooth leading to cavities forming.

Don’t panic! Our friendly teeth nerds have been busy conducting experiments and have found that simply chewing sugar free gum during the day could help you kill the bad acid that cause plaque. But how you may ask? Well..The process The process of chewing sugar-free gum helps the mouth to produce more saliva - the mouth's natural defense against acid; it usually takes our saliva about an hour to replace the minerals that the enamel has lost after eating. But chewing sugar-free gum for 20 minutes after eating or drinking increases the flow of saliva, and helps replace the minerals more quickly.

New health economic research published in the British Dental Journal suggests that if all 12-year-olds across the UK chewed sugar-free gum after eating or drinking the NHS could save around £8.2 million a year on dental treatments - the equivalent to 364,000 dental check-ups!

As a mum of four lads I know how difficult it is to monitor everything my boys eat, so I encourage them to chew in-between meals and dispose of the chewed gum responsibly.