Growing up, gum wasn’t something I was allowed to have too often. Even now when my oldest child started asking to chew gum, I really hesitated. I saw gum chewing as a treat. It wasn’t until recently that I learned more about the benefits of chewing sugar-free gum – and I was pleasantly surprised to learn there were actually benefits! A gum like Orbit for Kids Sugarfree Gum can actually help clean the mouth of food debris after eating meals and throughout the course of a day. The gum-chewing can help stimulate saliva production, which protects the teeth by neutralizing plaque acids and strengthening the teeth.
The information about the plaque acid was particularly interesting hit home because my son’s dentist had recently mentioned acid attacks to us. She said that after meals, our teeth are under acid attack for up to 20 minutes. Doing things like drinking water and chewing sugar free gum can help to reduce this acid attack!
Still, the most convincing fact for me was that Orbit for Kids Sugarfree gum recently earned the ADA seal of acceptance. So, I feel good knowing that this a great way to help keep my son’s teeth clean in between his normal brushings. It’s just an added step in an already important oral care routine we have at home. We brush our teeth together in the morning, use a mouth rinse and then do the same at bedtime, also flossing at that time.
Orbit sent us this bag full of oral healthcare products and samples of Orbit for Kids Sugarfree gum. I like that this bag of oral healthcare products helps my son see gum in a new light. It helps him to see it as part of good oral healthcare that can also be a bit of a treat!
The gum comes in two great, kid-friendly flavors – Bubble Gum and Strawberry Banana. My son loved the Strawberry Banana. He liked how long the flavor lasted, too! With each pack retailing for $1.29, it’s something I can stock up on. I do keep the gum reserved as somewhat of a treat – he earns it for keeping up with his normal oral healthcare routine (which we use a sticker chart for). As long as he is good about brushing/flossing, he gets to enjoy a piece of gum after lunch time.
As with anything, every parent knows their child best. Make sure your child is ready to chew gum. We talked to my son to make sure he knew that it stays in his mouth, he doesn’t share it with his little sisters, and that he wouldn’t swallow it. We also made sure he understood it was something that there was a limit to. He was so overjoyed to try it, so we’ve never had a problem with him adhering to our rules about it!
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Sounds like you handled things just right with how you taught your son about chewing gum.
Sugarless is smart.
There are also lollipops with xylitol that are supposed to prevent cavities!
Hopefully this gum doesn’t have toxic BHT, Aspartame, Acesulfame-Potassium and the like as with all the mainstream gum. Spry gum is natural and you can buy online or at Whole Foods. It may be a better option, it’s appalling what ingredients are still put into baby, toddler and children’s food/vitamins etc.