Gum & Your Teeth: The History of Gum

The ancient Greeks chewed a substance called mastiche to freshen their breath. The chewy material was made of resin from the bark of the mastic tree, which is native to Greece and Turkey.

In the tropical rainforest of what is now Central America, members of the pre-Columbian Mayan civilization had their own version of chewing gum, called chicle, which was derived from the sap of the sapodilla tree (known by locals as the chicozapote tree).

North America also produced gum-friendly trees: it is said that Native American tribes in modern-day New England introduced their gum-chewing habit to early colonists. The ubiquitous spruce provided a chewy resin that the natives found thirst-quenching.

In the late 1800’s, an American inventor named Thomas Adams endeavored to make various rubber products (including toys, galoshes, and bicycle tires) out of chicle he had imported from Mexico. He failed in each attempt, and found himself with a seemingly useless supply of chicle.

One day he was inspired with the idea to use the chicle as a base for chewing gum. By the end of the century, Adams, Sons, and Co. was the most profitable chewing gum company in the country, and went on to create one of America’s best-loved gums – you guessed it: Chiclets! As you might imagine, there’s not enough chicle in the world to keep up with today’s high demand for chewing gum. Most gums today are made of synthetic latex combined with sweeteners, softeners, flavorings, and colorings.

Test your gum-ption with this trivia quiz!

1. Swallowed gum remains in your stomach for:
A. 2 years
B. 7 years
C. 8 years
D. None of the above

2. Forward-looking scientists believe a special type of gum may help prevent:
A. Arthritis
B. Cancer
C. Broken bones
D. Blindness

3. Research suggests that chewing gum after ____ will help you heal faster:
A. Abdominal surgery
B. Tonsillitis
C. Appendicitis
D. Lasic surgery

4. The Chewing Gum Action Group was created in England to:
A. Introduce preschool children to the wonderful world of gum
B. Lobby Parliament in the interest of gum companies
C. Teach citizens to throw their used gum in garbage bins
D. Provide free chewing gum to underprivileged families

5. A new type of gum claims to reduce bacteria in your mouth by:
A. 10 times
B. 50 times
C. 80 times
D. 300 times

6. Chewing gum was strictly forbidden in ____ between 1992 and 2004:
A. Croatia
B. Belize
C. Morocco
D. Singapore

Trivia Quiz Answers
1. D: None of the above. Contrary to popular belief, swallowed gum does not set up shop in your stomach for years. While we don’t recommend that you swallow your gum, we can assure you that the parts of gum that cannot be digested simply pass through your system, as would any other roughage.

2. B: Cancer. In Finland, a group of scientists have proposed that chewing gum containing an amino acid called cysteine may be able to prevent cancer of the digestive tract.

3. A: Abdominal surgery. A group of California doctors have announced research that indicates that chewing gum can help patients recover more quickly from abdominal surgery, thereby reducing their hospital stays or being in an electric hospital bed by a day or more.

4. C: Teach citizens to throw their used gum in garbage bins. Gum litter in England is such a problem that gum manufacturers, local governments, and other interested parties have teamed up to form the Chewing Gum Action Group, which facilitates advertising campaigns to teach people to dispose of their gum properly.

5. B: 50 times. A German chemical company recently revealed its plans to manufacture gum that contains a bacteria found in yogurt. Supposedly, this gum would reduce the amount of cavity-causing bacteria in your mouth by 50 times.

6. D: Singapore. With a law passed in 1992, Singapore banned the import and sale of chewing gum. In 2004, the ban was revised and gum is now allowed into the country, but only for “therapeutic” reasons – in particular, nicotine gum that is used to help quit smoking.

Life With Braces

Eating with Braces

What can you eat? Let’s talk about what you can and cannot eat. For the first day or so, you may want to stick to a softer diet until you get fully comfortable with your braces. Avoid chewy candy, and biting into hard breads, and raw vegetables. But you’ll need to protect your orthodontic appliances when you eat for as long as you have your braces.

Foods to Avoid

Chewy foods: bagels, hard rolls, licorice
Crunchy foods: popcorn, ice, chips
Sticky foods: caramels, gum
Hard foods: nuts, candy
Foods you have to bite into: corn on the cob, apples, carrots

Chewing on hard things (for example, pens, pencils or fingernails) can damage the braces. Damaged braces will cause treatment to take longer.

Invisalign Teen Product Fits In with a Teen’s Active Lifestyle

Invisalign Teen Product is a clear removable aligner that doesn’t interfere with a teen’s active lifestyle. Jacqueline Fulop-Goodling, an orthodontist, Spokesperson for Invisalign Teen, and an Invisalign Elite Premier Provider located in New York city says:

I find that my teen patients are more confident since they are straightening their teeth with barely anyone noticing.

Parents also love the Invisalign Teen Product because it’s no more expensive than regular braces.

Teeth Grinding | Management & Cures

You have probably read about gnashing of the teeth. Authors from Mark Twain to Charles Dickens to the scribes of biblical times have referenced this popular idiom for an expression of extreme anger. But if you find yourself or a family member gnashing or grinding teeth, the more likely culprit is not anger, but stress.

bruxism, a word that comes from the Greek brychein which means to gnash the teeth
The medical term for teeth grinding or clenching is bruxism, a word that comes from the Greek brychein which means to gnash the teeth. Although there is not a firm consensus in the medical community regarding the exact causes of bruxism, it is widely thought that stress is a contributing factor in many cases.

Because bruxism frequently takes place during sleep, it can be tricky to identify the problem. Itis important to be aware of the symptoms. If you suspect that you or a family member is experiencing bruxism, schedule an appointment with us immediately. Because continuous teeth grinding can cause long-term damage, the sooner it is addressed, the better.

Signs of bruxism include:
Sensitivity in the teeth
Tightness or pain in the jaw
Dull headaches, earaches, or facial pain
Chipped, worn down, or loose teeth
Night grinding that is loud enough to disturb the sleep of those nearby

Adults and children alike are prone to teeth grinding
Adults and children alike are prone to teeth grinding, although in young children the habit tends to be age-related – bruxism can coincide with the arrival of new teeth – and in most cases is simply outgrown.
For children and adults suffering from bruxism, seek out signs of stress and take steps to alleviate anxiety, especially just before bedtime. Stretching exercises and massage, especially in the jaw area, can help. You can also try holding a warm washcloth or heated rice sack against the jaw to relieve tension.

Other ways to manage bruxism include:

Cut back on caffeine and alcohol
Drink plenty of water to avoid dehydration
Relax right before bedtime with a warm bath or shower
Help your jaw learn to relax by quitting any chewing habits (pens, pencils, gum)
When clenching or grinding happens during the day, place your tongue between your teeth to serve as a reminder to avoid the habit

Teeth grinding can result in chipped teeth, worn enamel, and chronic pain
Although slight cases of bruxism do not cause permanent damage, severe or long-term moderate cases can result in chipped teeth, worn enamel, and chronic pain. Bruxism can also lead to or worsen temporomandibular jaw disorder (TMJ). If someone in your family is experiencing bruxism, schedule a visit to our office right away. We can check for damage, determine the severity of the situation, and recommend methods of managing the problem before long-term damage occurs.

Wisdom Teeth | What You Need to Know

If you were waiting for some extra brainpower to kick in with the arrival of your wisdom teeth, don’t hold your breath. Wisdom teeth are intelligent only in name, and are actually correlated with an advance in age, not an increase in smarts.

Most people develop three sets of permanent molars throughout youth and early adulthood. The molars appear in each of the four quadrants of the mouth (right, left, top, and bottom).

The first set grows in, or erupts, around age six, and the second around age twelve. The third and final set of molars generally appears during the late teens or early twenties. Because this age has traditionally been considered one of increased knowledge, third molars are fondly (if inaccurately) referred to as “wisdom teeth.”

While in many mouths, wisdom teeth arrive in perfect formation – aligned properly with respect to the jaw and the second molars – frequently they are instead impacted, which means they either do not fully come in, or they come in misaligned.

Impacted wisdom teeth can cause a number of problems, the most common being:

• Infection: When a wisdom tooth only partially erupts, it leaves an opening that bacteria can enter, leading to infection.
• Tooth damage: If a wisdom tooth erupts at an odd angle, it can cause damage to nearby teeth. Some wisdom teeth erupt at angles toward or away from second molars, or toward the inside or the outside of the mouth.
• Cyst formation: In some cases, a cyst, or fluid-filled sac, forms, and can cause pain as well as damage to the jawbone and tooth roots.
• Tooth decay and gum disease: Due to impaction, as well as location in the rear of the mouth, wisdom teeth can be difficult to brush and floss. Uncared-for teeth are more likely to decay, which can lead to gum disease.

Symptoms of impacted molars include pain, jaw stiffness, swelling of the face, swelling of the gums, and oral infection. If you experience any of these symptoms, give us a call immediately. We can assess the situation and recommend a specialist if necessary.

In many cases, an impacted wisdom tooth must be removed. And depending on the information gleaned from x-rays of your mouth, we may recommend that wisdom teeth be extracted before they even begin to erupt. An early removal can avoid painful problems and complicated extractions in the future. Extraction is a simpler procedure at an earlier age, because the tooth roots are smaller and the jawbone is less dense. The American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons estimates that about 85% of third molars will eventually need to be removed.

You may wonder why we develop third molars, if they are so commonly problematic. Anthropologists believe that the course of human evolution has involved a shrinking of the lower jaw, which leaves less room for these formerly useful teeth. As the last teeth to arrive, third molars are often faced with a game of musical chairs. In many cases there is no chair (space on the jaw) for these teeth to sit upon.
A complimentary theory finds that as the human diet has progressed from an abundance of meat, uncooked greens, nuts, and other foraged food to a “softer” diet, our third set of molars has been rendered unnecessary. A molar that has found a way to avoid working – now that sounds like one smart tooth!

When Is Your Child Ready for Braces & Orthodontic Treatment?

The who, what, when, where, and how of orthodontic treatment can be a daunting pile of questions regardless of whether your first or your seventh child is due for some wires. And while it may seem early, the American Association of Orthodontics actually recommends that children have an orthodontic evaluation by the age of 7.

Early intervention

“Early intervention is great prevention,” explains orthodontist and Invisalign specialist Dr. Jacqueline Fulop-Goodling. Though a child is hardly an adult at age 12, their mouth is actually full-grown around that age. By evaluating a child’s mouth by around age 7, dentists can use the malleability of a growing mouth to correct jaw discrepancies and crowding issues with growth modification appliances like an arch or palate expander even before starting a treatment with braces.

There are many options in the field today, from wire braces that allow for less frequent and less painful visits, to clear braces that remain a popular cosmetic choice, and from bonded retainers that fit on the backside of the front teeth to the clear Invisalign trays. But it is important for treatment options to be individualized to your child’s needs as diagnosed by your child’s orthodontist.

Orthodontist Dr. Mark Bronsky, who has a practice on the Upper East Side, says that while many people consider orthodontic work to be a mainly cosmetic issue, “the goal is for long-term health. If the teeth fi t together in a way that is close to the way they should, they tend to be more stable and healthy in the long term.” And with the right treatment, Dr. Bronsky adds, “kids gain some serious self-esteem benefits” in the process.