Chewing gum

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#1 Post by **ShortyRocK** » Thu Mar 02, 2006 12:43 pm

My ortho said no gum and a lot of my friends chew gum with braces about 10 people I know say they do it everyday and i tried it...its not bad at all so whatâ€™s the reason they say i shouldnâ€™t chew gum anyone here do it?

#2 Post by **KJM** » Thu Mar 02, 2006 1:11 pm

Hey ShortyRocK! Funny you should mention this... we were at the ortho today for my 9yo son ( he is getting a RPE) and there I was chewing gum and my ortho is telling my son " NO GUM ALLOWED! but your Mom can tell you that. She knows." GULP!

I told him that one of the other orthos at that office had told my older son it was ok to chew certian kinds and he said " well she was wrong. Sorry but no gum!"
I think it is b/c it isnt good for your brackets ( like the same reason you can have caramels, or sticky chewy things)
I guess that I cant chew it now, esp since I dont want my son to chew it. ( I dont want him to break/loosen his expander) I guess its lead by example right?

#3 Post by **genxsis** » Thu Mar 02, 2006 1:21 pm

My ortho says certain gums are alright--even recommended. Karefree Koolers is the one the office recommends chewing. I won't do it yet because chewing is still no fun even after a month in braces. I keep biting my cheek and lip.

#4 Post by **Dark_angel** » Thu Mar 02, 2006 2:38 pm

I love chewing gum, it helps to keep me calm. My ortho never said anything about not chweing gum and avoiding things like popcorn so i eat them anyway. I choose a sugar free extra gum and i've never had any problems with it and ive been braced for about 4 months and had molar bands on for about 6.

I remember a few years ago when i had hawley retainers i decided to chew some bubble gum and it got stuck to both by top and bottom hawleys and i had to spend ages cleaning it off with a toothbrush. Lessons are learnt i suppose.

#5 Post by **Bianca** » Thu Mar 02, 2006 8:04 pm

It seems to vary by orthodontist.

Mine, however, gave me a big fat no on the whole gum idea, and I have a couple different handouts talking about how it's a bad idea.

I tried to convince her otherwise, as I was an avid gum-chewer before braces, but she wouldn't hear of it. There wasn't a single brand that she was even moderately okay with.

So no gum for me!

Website · #6 Post by **Kell** » Thu Mar 02, 2006 8:31 pm

My goody bag from the ortho had some sugar free gum in it. The assistant said that it was okay to chew sugar free gum and that it would help work out the soreness. I've only chewed it a few times.

#7 Post by **dena** » Thu Mar 02, 2006 11:47 pm

ditto...i was told ONLY sugar free gum, but the ortho said it helped many people with pain.

now, i was so-so with gum before. i liked it but i didnt have to have it. i've tried chewing gum with the braces and i HATE IT. first, when my teeth hurt, it made them hurt worse. and i find that it shreds and gets caught on my molar band cleats. also, i tend to chew with my mouth open (see another post here...) because it's easier (that is, when i'm alone. not in public!) but the gum is so hard for me to chew that i cant chew it without chomping on it. so i avoid it altogether now.

#8 Post by **kirst1583** » Fri Mar 03, 2006 6:01 am

Kell wrote:My goody bag from the ortho had some sugar free gum in it. The assistant said that it was okay to chew sugar free gum and that it would help work out the soreness. I've only chewed it a few times.

My goodie bag did also. My ortho recommends chewing gum, especially after adjustments. I think he mentioned it was good because it gets the blood flowing and helps the soreness (it was a couple of yrs ago now though so I could've got that wrong).
But yeah - I chew gum all the time. Sugar free though. I haven't had any problems and have actually sometimes temporarily used it as wax (at the back of my mouth) till I could get home and get some!

#9 Post by **Leslie022** » Fri Mar 03, 2006 7:39 am

I chew gum a good bit now. It helps ease the pain I sometimes get in my jaw. The good thing is that most gum is being made Sugar Free now, so there is a nice selection. The only problem I have is it gets stuck on the archwire when it sticks out beyond the tube on my back molars.

#10 Post by **KJM** » Fri Mar 03, 2006 7:57 am

genxsis wrote: Karefree Koolers is the one the office recommends chewing.

This was the same brand that my son was told was OK to chew. I havent seen it for a while at my store, but I do buy sugarfree Trident or Orbits and they dont stick.

#11 Post by **hannah164** » Fri Mar 03, 2006 9:04 pm

I chew gum sometimes and I really like fruity flavors! Orbitz and some Tirdent and others! My ortho has told me that's not allowed but it doesn't stop me! As long as its sugar free I don't have a problem with it getting stuck or breaking anything!

I 've just got to make sure that I don't do it around my family, anti- gum people! And I'm not supposed to do it with braces, so says my mother!

~Hannah

Top braces: 4/28/04
Bottom braces: 11/16/05
Last Adjustment: February 28, 2006 where they gave me a new bottom wire and attached my impacted canine, newly bracketed, to the wire! OUCH!

#12 Post by **katy** » Sat Mar 04, 2006 1:31 am

My orthodontist actually strongly recommended that I chew gum after a couple of months of extreme sensitivity to my upper front teeth caused by them moving a lot in a short period. It really helped because before I started, my orthodontist couldn't even change an o-ring on my front teeth without me writhing in pain.

I think the main reason most orthodontists would advise against it would be if you were using chewing gum with sugar in it. As far as I'm aware, by chewing sugar-free gum, you are actually stimulating saliva and therefore helping prevent tooth decay.

Katy