Lesson learned: Never chew sugar sweetened gum

In medical school, I found that I could stay awake and study if I chewed Bazooka bubble gum. Worked better than coffee or anything else. When I started medical school, I did not have a single cavity. By the time I was 35, I needed 3 root canals– not fun and expensive and time consuming. I talk to my children about this and taking care of their teeth– they assume that their teeth will always be strong and white. Not so, unless you put in the care and maintenance at an early age.

Lesson — if you must chew gum, make sure that it is sugarless. We have so many options now-a days.

– Elizabeth Chabner Thompson, MD, MPH, President/CEO BFFL Co