Daily life These “good” excuses for why the French do not brush their teeth

With the mask, you felt your breath more for two years… which could have been accentuated because of the drying of the oral mucous membranes caused by it. And since he fell, you rediscover the breath of the people around you. According to a Sunstar study conducted by oral care-focused brand Gum

, 11% of French people find that they have bad breath. This is linked to the presence, in the oral cavity, of bacteria which cause odors by degrading proteins.

There are several causes for this: diet, tobacco, cavities, dental abscesses, infections favored by certain oral diseases (gingivitis, periodontitis, canker sores), defective or unsuitable dental reconstructions… Not to mention the bad hygiene of the mouth and teeth, which can have serious consequences. Because still according to the same study, only 1 in 2 French people brush their teeth twice a day, a relaxation which has been accentuated with the various confinements and teleworking. And the French have good excuses for that! Still according to the study, there is even a Top 5: 32% of respondents indicate to forget, 21% mention the reason for goingstraight to bed 18% admit they skip brushing their teethwhen they are in a hurry 17% report not brushing their teeth when they are sick and 16% believe it is notnot the right time

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“Chewing gum has an interesting effect”

Against this bad breath, it is sometimes customary to take a chewing gum, without sugar, of course. And that’s not bad! Even if it does not replace brushing, the UFSBD (French Union for Oral Health) recommends chewing it after food intake. Chewing increases the production of saliva. This so-called “induced” saliva has a different composition from naturally produced saliva. It is richer in bicarbonate, calcium and phosphate and therefore neutralizes acids better and will provide more minerals. It is interesting to chew for about twenty minutes to stimulate saliva, ”explains Doctor Christophe Lequart, dental surgeon in private practice and spokesperson for the UFSBD.

Fight against dental plaque

Because chewing gum allows you to really take care of your mouth: it preserves the whiteness of the teeth (by erasing the tannic deposits deposited by coffee, for example), restores self-confidence (because it gives fresh breath) and limits the appearance of cavities, according to the recommendations of the USBD in partnership with Freedent. Chewing gum after each food intake during the day, liquid or solid, can really help neutralize the acids synthesized by dental plaque.

In 2020, sales of chewing gum plunged by 21% in supermarkets in France (**), due to the health crisis. According to the Nielsen Institute quoted by actu.fr, in 2021, the fall was more moderate: – 7.5% of sales in France. However, France was, in 2010, the second consumer country of chewing gum behind the United States, recalls Le Figaro.

Will the chewing gum regain all its colors with the removal of the mask? It is still too early to know.