Can chewing gum be as effective as flossing?

Would you rather chew gum or floss your teeth? And no, it’s not a trick question.

Gum-chewers, keep on chewin‘

According to a study published by science journal PLOS ONE, scientists say the act of chewing gum — sugar-free gum, of course — removes so much bacteria from the mouth that it can actually be comparable to flossing your teeth. 

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During the experiment, five people were asked to chew two types of spearmint gum, separately, for a certain period of time, and then the researchers analysed each chewed piece. They found that each piece contained almost 10 million bacteria — close to the amount removed by flossing.

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Now, while the researchers didn’t say you should STOP flossing, their data shows that chewing gum can apparently help remove a whole lot of bacteria living in your mouth that could eventually cause health problems.

So if you’re a gum-chewer, chew on. But until further notice, you shouldn’t kick your flossing habit quite yet.