Chewing gum and braces

I'm often asked about chewing gum and braces.

This is a subject that has some controversy within the orthodontic field...and what would life be without controversy. There are some orthodontists who recommend chewing gum, but from my experience, most orthodontists do not favor their patients chewing gum.

I do not recommend chewing gum while wearing braces for some very important reasons. This is not a popular recommendation for many of our patients, but my goal is to provide the best and most time-efficient orthodontic treatment possible.

Let me tell you why I don't like to see our patients chewing gum while wearing braces.

There are three main problems that occur when orthodontic patients chew gum:

1) Loose wires,
2) Loose braces,
3) Loose or missing ties.

Let's look at each one of the above separately.

Loose wires - when a wire becomes loose, many things can happen. Some of these are:

1) poking wires - OUCH!!
2) unplanned movement of teeth - this can cause extended treatment time
3) no movement of teeth - this can cause extended treatment time.

Loose braces - when a bracket comes loose from the tooth:

1) twisting and poking - OUCH!!
2) unplanned movement of teeth - this can cause extended treatment time
3) no movement of teeth - this can cause extended treatment time.

Loose or missing ties - when a colored or clear tie comes off:

1) wires coming out of the brackets leading to poking wires - OUCH!!
2) unplanned movement of teeth - this can cause extended treatment time
3) no movement of teeth - this can cause extended treatment time.

You've probably noticed that the bad things that can happen are all the same for each problem that chewing gum can cause. I wrote this on purpose this way to emphasize the point that there are many problems that can occur when a braces patient chews gum, and they are all the same -either pain or extended treatment time.

I don't think any orthodontic patient wants to have poking wires, or wants their treatment time extended.

So unless your orthodontist specifically recommends chewing gum, DON'T DO IT!! Save it for after your braces come off.

Working together, you and your orthodontist will be able to create your dream smile in the shortest amount of time possible.