there are two issues here. let's start with the brushing first. i love the fact that you want to brush after every meal. this is the best way to keep excellent oral hygiene. however if you cannot brush after every meal brushing morning and night is quite sufficient. the best thing is to ask your dentist/hygienist to evaluate your home care and let him/her give you the proper feedback if you are doing it right. the gum issue is different: gum chewing (on the contrary to the trident commercial) is not totally good for you. the good thing is that it stimulates salivation making your mouth ready for food consumption (is that what your really want when you are on a diet? ). the bad thing about gum chewing is that it over-exercises your muscles of mastication. we are not supposed to chew "non-stop" throughout the day. when you do that you are putting undue stress on your teeth and muscles and cause premature wear and tear. your teeth should only come into contact when you swallow and if they do otherwise you will experience premature wear of your dentition. keep brushing and flossing regularly and easy on the gum chewing.
i am on a doctor-prescribed liquid diet and am chewing gum between meals. should i brush after every meal instead?