Chewing Gum: Good or Bad for the Jaw?
Few things exhaust a joint and lead to deterioration like excessive use. Think about a door hinge. Brand new doors that are freshly installed don’t squeak (if they were installed correctly) or face much trouble at all performing the job they were meant to do. But how about after years of use? Like an old rusty door hinge, a rundown, worn-out jaw joint can cause some problems too. How does the jaw get run down quickly? Chewing gum.
The Temporomandibular Joint
The TMJ, or temporomandibular joint is the joint that connects the jaw bone to the skull. As one might imagine, the joint sees quite a bit of activity being that many of us like to talk a lot and have to chew to feed ourselves. This already high activity increases significantly with habitual gum chewing.
As the jaw opens and closes, it can begin to wear away at the soft tissue that pads the joint. Then, as that cushion starts to wear away, bone starts to grind against bone and can lead to inflammation. Inflammation of a joint being arthritis.
Warning Signs of Excessive Gum Chewing
Surely not all gum chewing is bad. Some dentists suggest that it can actually be good for your teeth after all (so long as it isn’t high in sugar), but how much is too much? Fortunately, too much jaw activity is usually met with short-term muscle exhaustion. However, habitual chewing, like chewing gum for example can often lead to more long-term effects.
- Clicking or popping of the jaw joint
- Headaches and migraines
- Jaw pain
- Tooth fracture
- Ear pain
Pros of Chewing Gum
Chewing gum isn’t all bad. In fact, chewing sugar-free gum may not contribute to tooth decay the way that sugary gums do. Chewing gum also stimulates the production of saliva which prevents dry mouth and neutralizes acids caused by cavity-causing bacteria.
The Verdict?
Chewing gum may have some benefits, but those benefits aren’t anything regularly brushing your teeth can’t already do for your oral health. The potential for degrading the well-being of the jaw joint just doesn’t seem worth it.
If your jaw is regularly sore, loud when opening and closing, painful, or irritated, it may be a sign of a temporomandibular joint disorder. For a consultation on the health of your jaw, schedule an appointment with Dr. Buck by calling (425) 329-4682 or filling out a contact form.
