Bonus Facts:
Humans have been chewing gum, in one form or another, for thousands of years. Prehistoric bark tar containing teeth imprints have been traced back to the Stone Age, and balls of chewed up plant material found in the U.S. date back 2,000 years.
Ever wonder why there’s no expiration date on chewing gum? Gum base is made out of food-grade polymers, waxes, and softeners for texture. It has a non-reactive nature and low moisture content, which accounts for its super long shelf life. While old gum tends to get brittle and rather tasteless, it remains safe to chew. Because of this, most countries require no expiration date on gum packaging.
During the Second World War, members of the U.S. military used chewing gum for trade or to give as gifts while stationed in Europe and around the world.
Pregnant women who suffer from morning sickness sometimes feel worse after taking prenatal vitamins. Sucking on a piece of hard candy or chewing gum after taking vitamins can help ease nausea.
If you can’t brush your teeth after a meal, chewing sugarless gum can help clean up those wayward particles of food that cause bad breath.
Worried about your dental enamel? Studies indicate that chewing gum with high levels of xylitol can help prevent cavities and harden the surface of teeth where cavities have begun to form.
Natural and artificial sweeteners used in sugar-free gum may cause nausea, diarrhea, flatulence, and headaches, if you swallow a lot of it. Another reason to spit it out!
Even if you don’t swallow your gum, habitual gum chewing may also cause temporomandibular joint syndrome, injury to teeth, or damage to dental work.
Would you believe there’s such a thing as “gum pollution,” or “gumfitti?” Inappropriately discarded chewing gum sticks to surfaces and is devilishly hard to expunge. Just ask any school maintenance crew. In some cases, chemical solvents are used to clean gum from public and private facilities – at great financial expense, and an unknown cost to the environment.