Whiten Your Teeth By Chewing Gum?
The use of chewing gum to whiten teeth is a relatively new entry into the marketplace, undoubtedly inspired by the popularity of teeth whitening treatments from dentists' surgeries and over-the-counter teeth whitening kits. It sounds like a pretty weird development – we have been told for some time that chewing gum isn't good for our teeth, then it became “sugar free chewing gum can do you some good” - but the idea that it could whiten teeth is a new one on most of us. So is it an accurate perception?
The truth about teeth whitening chewing gum is hard to pin down. Most of the main chewing gum brands now have on the market a teeth-whitening line. With a reputation to protect and a lot of attention on the idea of teeth whitening, would they risk their popularity by putting out a gum that didn't do what it claimed to – and if it does work, how does it do so? These are the obvious questions, and the ones that need to be answered.
In truth the impression seems to be that teeth-whitening chewing gums work – a bit. They do not contain an active teeth-whitening ingredient with peroxide in it, but do contain a mild abrasive that can rub away some surface stains. These gums are never going to be as effective as a dentist's whitening treatment or whitening kit. So while they might work as a top-up on already white teeth, they should not be considered as, or judged against, medical treatments for tooth staining.