Chewing gum that doesn’t stick to dental work

January 27, 2024 3:29 PM

I regularly chew Freedent gum. I use only Freedent gum, because it doesn’t stick to dental work. In the last couple of months, if has become increasingly harder to find. Today, I haven’t found it anywhere local. My spouse did find Freedent and something similar to order online, but at outrageous prices, such as 50 cents to $1 for each piece.

Can you suggest any alternatives – other chewing gum that doesn’t stick to dental work, at reasonable prices? I am in the United States, but I wonder if a good substitute might be available from another country.

Do you know why there is such a shortage of this?

posted by NotLost to Grab Bag (11 answers total)

Amazon 13 cents per stick
posted by Ideefixe at 3:33 PM on January 27 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Thanks, Ideefixe. That's a good price, but I will have to wait until March!
posted by NotLost at 3:36 PM on January 27

Active by OrthoGum looks like a potentially viable alternative at a $0.25/piece.
posted by teremala at 3:59 PM on January 27 [2 favorites]

Active by OrthoGum is Freedent’s competitor.
posted by artdrectr at 4:00 PM on January 27 [1 favorite]

Out of stock on Amazon. I fear it's been discontinued. In the Bay area near Berkeley closest Walgreens carrying it is in San Francisco. Target and Walmart did not have it.
posted by Sophont at 5:07 PM on January 27 [1 favorite]

And while placing an order on Walgreens for shipping, someone beat me to the last 9 packages.
posted by Sophont at 5:15 PM on January 27 [1 favorite]

Best answer: I just saw Spry xylitol gum, 100 pieces for $7.99 on iherb. It's not sticks; it's pieces like Chiclets. It's in all the stores if you want to buy a small pack and see if it works for you. I find it doesn't stick to my dental work at all.
posted by BibiRose at 5:55 PM on January 27

Best answer: My dentist gave me a little packet of Spry gum so it probably doesn't stick to dental work. I have a crown and a ton of fillings and chew spearmint Trident or Orbit.
posted by fiercekitten at 7:21 PM on January 27 [1 favorite]

Best answer: I asked my dentist about Orbit sugarfree gum, and she said start with a quarter-piece and work up from there. I've been chewing Orbit for years now without any issues, so it works for me, even though it's not directly targeted at that audience. My dentist said while she's not going to officially recommend a chewing gum, sugar-free gum with a soft texture is a good place to start. If you can't find or don't like Freedent or OrthoGum, start small and carefully before working up to a full piece to make sure it's not going to be a problem.
posted by xedrik at 8:30 AM on January 28

Response by poster: Thanks. I will keep an eye on Walgreen's online (out of stock right now), and try out Orbit and Spry.
posted by NotLost at 7:30 PM on January 28

i didn't care for the spry gum.

i have so many crowns and fillings. i chew either extra or trident and have never had a problem with either of them.
posted by misanthropicsarah at 8:34 AM on January 29