A 1,000-patient randomized trial found sugar-free gum had no significant effect on bracket failures, though the ADA lists gum among foods to avoid with braces.
At Oxboro Family Dental, we get the gum question about crowns, fillings and Invisalign aligners just as often. Our answer changes with the dental work in your mouth and how recently we placed it.
Can You Chew Gum With Dental Work?
The answer depends on which dental work you have and whether that work is temporary or finished. The chart below gives the verdict for each type, and the sections after it explain the reasoning.
| Dental work | Can you chew gum? | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| Braces | Sugar-free only, with your orthodontist’s okay | Trial evidence and ADA advice disagree |
| Invisalign aligners | Only with aligners out | Counts against 20 to 22 hours of daily wear |
| Temporary crown | Skip it | Worn for 2 to 3 weeks and built to come off |
| Permanent or same-day crown | Ask us at your visit | Super sticky foods can dislodge a crown |
| Filling | Yes, once the numbness wears off | Chewing does not damage a new filling |
Patients searching for the best chewing gum for dental work usually expect a brand name. The type of dental work decides far more than the brand does.
Can You Chew Gum With Braces?
Sugar-free gum is a reasonable choice with braces once your orthodontist agrees, and gum sweetened with sugar should wait until the brackets come off.
Official advice and trial evidence point in different directions on braces. The American Dental Association’s patient guidance puts chewing gum on its list of foods to avoid with braces, next to popcorn, corn on the cob and whole apples.
A large trial published in the American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics in 2016 tested the breakage worry directly. Researchers in southwest England gave 1,000 braces patients aged 11 to 17 either sugar-free gum or ibuprofen for soreness, across 9 hospital orthodontic departments. Gum had no clinically or statistically significant effect on bracket failures.
Oxboro Family Dental does not place braces, so the orthodontist who bonded your brackets has the final say. Their adhesive, your wire and your treatment stage all matter.
Does Gum Stick to Braces?
Gum can stick to brackets and wires, which is why the ADA groups it with sticky foods to avoid during braces treatment. The 1,000-patient trial still recorded no significant rise in bracket failures among sugar-free gum chewers. Stickiness differs from product to product, so ask your orthodontist which gum they allow.
Does Chewing Gum Help With Braces Pain?
Chewing sugar-free gum was linked to less ibuprofen use in the same trial. After braces were fitted, patients given gum took ibuprofen on an average of 2.1 occasions, compared with 3.0 occasions in the ibuprofen group. Soreness after an adjustment is common, and gum is one option to raise with your orthodontist.
Is Hubba Bubba Ok for Braces?
Hubba Bubba suits braces only when the label says sugar-free and your orthodontist allows gum. Any gum sweetened with sugar is a poor match, because the ADA warns that sugary foods can lead to plaque around brackets that may permanently stain or damage teeth. A pack that lists sugar can wait until your braces come off.
Can You Chew Gum With Invisalign?
You can chew gum during Invisalign treatment only while your aligners are out of your mouth. We ask patients wearing Invisalign in Bloomington to take aligners out for gum, the same way they do for meals.
Gum then costs you wear time. Aligners need 20 to 22 hours of wear a day, which leaves 2 to 4 hours for eating, brushing, flossing and everything else.
Take a patient who chews a piece for 20 minutes after breakfast, lunch and dinner. Those three pieces use a full hour of out-of-mouth time, on top of the meals themselves. On a 22-hour plan, that hour is half the daily allowance.
Lost wear time is one of the things that stretches how long Invisalign takes. Put your aligners back in as soon as the gum is gone.
Can You Chew Gum With a Crown?
Skip gum while you have a temporary crown, and ask us about gum once your permanent crown is in place.
A crown made in a dental lab usually takes two to three weeks to arrive, and a temporary crown covers the tooth during the wait. That temporary is the crown most at risk from anything sticky.
Our office also mills same-day CEREC crowns on site. The milling step runs about 10 to 20 minutes, and you leave with the permanent crown in one visit. A same-day crown means no temporary to pull loose.
Crowns fall under the specialty of Dr. Augusto Saldarriaga, the board certified prosthodontist on our team. He is the right person to ask about gum and your specific dental crown.
Can You Chew Gum With a Temporary Crown?
Gum is a poor idea with a temporary crown. A temporary is built to come off again at your second visit, much like a sticky note is made to peel away cleanly. Cleveland Clinic lists super sticky foods such as taffy and caramels among the things that can pull a crown off, and gum tugs in a similar way.
How Long After a Crown Is Cemented Can I Chew Gum?
The wait depends on the cement and the crown, so we give that answer at the appointment. Ask us on the day your permanent crown goes in, and we will tell you when gum is fine for your tooth. Call our office if a crown ever feels loose after chewing.
Wondering if your crown is ready for gum? We can check the fit at your next visit.
A quick look, and a clear answer.
Can You Chew Gum After a Filling?
You can chew gum after a filling once the numbness has worn off. Cleveland Clinic’s guidance is that eating or drinking right after the procedure will not damage a new filling.
The reason to wait is the anesthetic. A numb cheek or tongue is easy to bite without feeling it, and gum keeps your jaw moving for a long time.
Tooth-colored fillings are hardened with a curing light during the visit. Some sensitivity for a week or two is normal. Pain when you bite down is a separate matter, and can mean the filling sits a little high and needs a quick reshaping.
Larger cavities sometimes get inlays and onlays, which a lab makes while a temporary protects the tooth. Ask us about gum while that temporary is in.
What is the Best Chewing Gum for Dental Work?
The best chewing gum for dental work is a sugar-free gum that carries the ADA Seal of Acceptance.
The ADA gives its Seal only to sugar-free gum, sweetened with ingredients such as xylitol, sorbitol, aspartame or mannitol. Clinical studies cited by the ADA found that chewing sugarless gum for 20 minutes after meals can help prevent tooth decay. Chewing raises saliva flow, and saliva rinses away food and neutralizes the acids that plaque bacteria make.
Gum is an extra on top of brushing twice a day and cleaning between your teeth daily, and the ADA is clear that it replaces neither.
Recommended: Our guide to the best gum for your teeth goes deeper on choosing one.
When Should You Skip Gum Altogether?
Skip gum completely if you have a TMJ disorder or jaw pain, and stop chewing when any dental work feels loose.
ADA guidance says to avoid any gum with a TMJ disorder, since the extra chewing adds stress to the jaw and can make the condition worse. Long, regular chewing sessions can also bring on jaw pain and headaches in some patients.
Red flags:
- A crown that feels loose or shifts when you chew
- A bracket or wire that has come loose
- Jaw clicking, locking or pain
- Pain when you bite down on a new filling
Each of those red flags is a reason to put the gum away and call us. Jaw symptoms and loose dental work are both things we check during family dentistry visits in Bloomington.
TL;DR: Can You Chew Gum With Braces, Invisalign, Crowns or Fillings?
- Braces: a 1,000-patient trial found sugar-free gum did not raise bracket failures, and the ADA still advises avoiding gum, so your orthodontist decides.
- Invisalign: chew gum only with aligners out, and count that time against your 20 to 22 hours of daily wear.
- Temporary crown: skip gum for the 2 to 3 weeks the temporary is on.
- Fillings: gum is fine once the numbness wears off.
- Any dental work: choose sugar-free gum with the ADA Seal, and stop if you have jaw pain or a TMJ disorder.
Every mouth has a different mix of dental work. We can tell you what yours can handle.
Get Answers About Your Dental Work
Bring your questions to your next checkup.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you chew gum with a retainer?
Take a removable retainer out first, the same way Invisalign patients remove aligners for gum. A bonded retainer stays on your teeth, so ask the dentist or orthodontist who placed it whether gum is fine with the wire. Sugar-free gum is the better choice either way.
Can you chew gum with dentures?
Denture fit varies a lot from person to person, so gum that suits one wearer may bother another. Bring the question to your next visit and we will check how your dentures seat. If you try gum in the meantime, choose a sugar-free one and stop if the denture shifts.
Can you chew gum with veneers?
Ask us about your specific veneers, since the answer depends on how they were bonded and how you bite. Sugar-free gum remains the better pick for the natural teeth around them. Tell us about any veneer that feels rough, loose or different after chewing.
Can I chew 5 gum with braces?
Check the pack for a sugar-free label, then look for the product on the ADA’s list of accepted chewing gums. With both in place, the last step is your orthodontist’s okay, because their bonding and your treatment stage decide the answer.
Does chewing gum affect crowns?
Chewing gum matters most with a temporary crown, which is built to come off at your second visit and can be pulled loose by sticky foods. For a permanent crown, ask us at your appointment. Call the office about any crown that feels loose.
What should I do if gum gets stuck in my braces?
Call the orthodontist who placed your braces and let them remove the gum. Picking at brackets or wires with tools at home risks bending a wire or loosening a bracket. Rinsing with water and gentle brushing are as far as home care should go.