According to a 2016 survey by the U.S. Census and Simmons National Consumer Survey (SNCS), a mind-boggling 175.21 million Americans chewed gum (bubble or chewing) in 2016. In fact, an estimated 374 trillion sticks of chewing gum were made last year, weighing a total of 100,000 tons! With all that gum being produced, it’s easy to make the wrong choice when choosing a chewing gum. If you’re a gum chewer but want to make sure you’re taking care of your teeth while you chew, check out these tips.

For patients who receive dental implants, bacterial inflammation-related implant failure is a serious concern. Though inflammation-related implant failure only affects between 6 and 15 percent of dental implant patients, it can be catastrophic, causing patients to lose not just a costly implant, but also bone and tissue as well.