Chewing gum can stifle your appetite and help improve the smell of your breath, but a stick of gum also has the potential to provide some serious dental benefits as well. Chewing sugar-free gum varieties on a regular basis can be a useful addition to your oral healthcare routine.

Here are three reasons why your dentist might promote the chewing of sugar-free gum on a daily basis.

1. Chewing sugar-free gum can keep teeth clean.

It might not be possible to brush your teeth after every meal or snack that you eat throughout the day. Particles from the foods that you ingest can adhere to the surface of your teeth, contributing to cavities and decay over time.

When you make the choice to chew sugar-free gum, you help increase your mouth's natural production of saliva. The more saliva you have running through your mouth, the more food particles can be removed from your teeth. Chewing a stick of sugar-free gum after eating a meal or snack on the go will help you keep your teeth cleaner.

2. Chewing sugar-free gum can help prevent plaque.

The chemical balance that exists within your mouth plays a critical role in determining how easy it is for plaque to build up on the surface of your teeth. Each time you eat or drink something, the pH level inside your mouth is altered.

Encouraging an increase in saliva production by chewing sugar-free gum helps your body release more calcium and phosphate ions (found in your saliva). Flooding your mouth with these ions via saliva by chewing sugar-free gum regularly can help balance your mouth's pH level and prevent plaque buildup over time.

3. Chewing sugar-free gum can help prevent halitosis.

While most people have experienced the occasional bout of bad breath, some people suffer from chronically bad breath. This condition, known as halitosis, could be prevented by chewing sugar-free gum.

Halitosis is often caused by an imbalance in the bacteria levels within your mouth. Too much of the wrong type of bacteria can create a funky odor, so having an increase in saliva production to help restore bacteria levels is essential when it comes to preventing halitosis. Adding sugar-free gum to your daily oral healthcare routine could help you eliminate halitosis from your life in the future.

Identifying some of the ways that sugar-free gum can contribute to better oral health allows you to see why your dentist would approve of the addition of sugar-free gum as a tool to help you manage your oral hygiene. For more information, talk to companies like Centre Family Dentistry.