A few years ago when the girls' daycare announced there was going to be sugar-free gum day as a treat, I came in to pick them up, and caught a few moms lecturing the teachers on the dangers of artificial sweeteners and demanding that gum with sugar be allowed.
Oh boy did I have to bite my tongue!
While I can understand wanting to avoid aspartame, or whatever, there are lots of other sweeteners available that are better than sugar.
One of them is xylitol, a natural sweetener (for those of you who find 'natural' to be a meaningful descriptor). It has slightly fewer calories than sugar and rather than causing tooth decay (one of sugars' many negative health consequences), it is actually protective of teeth.
Xylitol is available granulated and can be used in place of sugar in cooking and baking. It is also an active ingredient in many dental care products such as pastes and rinses.
You can also find xylitol in gums, like this new product, Confadent Oral Technology, which sent us several packs to sample.
The whole family gave them a try so we can share our feedback with you.
Adam, who is a ritual gum chewer, said he found he needed to chew several at a time because they are small, and he prefers gum in stick form. The girls liked the flavour, but found it did not last very long.
Overall, its great if used for its intended purpose:
"help prevent plaque and gingivitis, whiten teeth, and freshen your breath"
If however, you are looking for something merely for chewing pleasure, than you may be disappointed. But, frankly, I find that the case with most gum. After a few minutes of chewing I always have to spit it out or it starts to make me feel nauseous.
There is no doubt in my mind that we should all be avoiding gum with sugar. Oral health has now been determined to influence our risk for all sorts of serious chronic illnesses like heart disease and cancer. Its not just a matter of having clean teeth!
So do I recommend this product? If you find yourself forgetting to brush your teeth regularly or having less than stellar check-ups at the dentist, or worrying about bad breath after meals, than stashing packs of these in your car and bag are a smart thing. Chewing for just a few minutes while the flavour lasts should be enough to get the protective benefits of the active ingredients anyways.
Disclosure: The company sent us the gum to review but all opinions on this blog are our own.
There is no doubt in my mind that we should all be avoiding gum with sugar. Oral health has now been determined to influence our risk for all sorts of serious chronic illnesses like heart disease and cancer. Its not just a matter of having clean teeth!
So do I recommend this product? If you find yourself forgetting to brush your teeth regularly or having less than stellar check-ups at the dentist, or worrying about bad breath after meals, than stashing packs of these in your car and bag are a smart thing. Chewing for just a few minutes while the flavour lasts should be enough to get the protective benefits of the active ingredients anyways.
Disclosure: The company sent us the gum to review but all opinions on this blog are our own.
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