There are many benefits for those who chew gum. It freshens up breath and removes food particles that get stuck between our teeth.
It helps reduce stress for some and helps fight off hunger cravings for others. Chewing gum also stimulates saliva production, and fights cavities.
With all these benefits associated with chewing gum, there are some cons .
When we chew gum, we exercise our jaw muscles –
- Similar to any other muscle group in the body that gets overworked,
- Constant and aggressive gum chewing can tire these muscles and cause painful spasms in our jaw, neck and head,————> which leads to ———> condition called———-> temporomandibular dysfunction (or TMD).
- TMD occurs when the temporomandibular joint physically stresses degeneration of cartilage in the jaw which acts as shock absorbers for us when we chew.
- Chewing gum is one of the most common ways to cause this type of damage.