ADA gives sugar-free gum a seal of approval

The next time you pick up a pack of Wrigley's Orbit, Extra, or Eclipse gum, you might see an ADA seal of approval on the package. That's because for the first time since the 1930s, the ADA has approved sugarless gum as a product that might promote dental health. The saliva that is produced from chewing the gum for 20 minutes after meals washes away food particles and gives the teeth a "bath" of calcium and other teeth-strengthening minerals. The seal does not mean that gum is now a dental care product, only that the product does manage to do what the packaging says it does.