Trident (gum)

Trident is a brand of sugarless chewing gum popular in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Greece, Guyana, Spain, Mexico, Portugal, Venezuela, Morocco, Thailand, Peru, Brazil, Ecuador and in Argentina & Uruguay as 'Beldent'. It was introduced by Cadbury in the United Kingdom. In European countries (Scandinavia, Netherlands, Germany, etc.), Trident is also sold as Stimorol gum; it is generally the same as Trident.

The Trident brand was the first national brand of sugar-free chewing gum. Developed by the American Chicle company in response to medical discoveries linking sugar to dental caries, the original Trident formula contained three enzymes thought to soften dental tartar, but was sugared. The name "Trident" derives from the three enzymes to promote dental health.

When artificial sweeteners became widespread in the early 1960s, the formula was changed to use saccharin instead of sugar, and Sugar-Free Trident was introduced in 1964 with the slogan "The Great Taste that Is Good for Your Teeth". American Chicle's marketing was one of the first national campaigns to promote dental health through chewing gum.

In the mid-1960s, a new slogan was introduced for Trident: "4 out of 5 dentists surveyed would recommend sugarless gum to their patients who chew gum." The phrase is believed to have been based on the results of a survey of practicing dentists with either D.D.S. or D.M.D. degrees, apparently conducted in the early 1960s, whose patients included frequent users of chewing gums; the percentage of respondents to the survey whose responses indicated they would make such references to their patients is believed to have been approximately 80%, rounded off to the nearest full percentage point, of the total number of respondents. It became strongly associated with the Trident brand. As of the last days of May of 2010, however, Kraft Foods's Cadbury Adams group was not known to have made any public disclosures of any details about the survey, presumably citing the proprietary nature of the survey data and conclusions as its rationale.

Trident gum contains the sugar alcohol xylitol, which is known as a "tooth-friendly" sugar.^[1] Use of the chemical has been subject to controversy, as it is highly toxic to dogs.^{[2] [3]}

Products and flavors

Original Trident flavors

Original Trident, a soft gum packaged in a unique rectangular shape, is sweetened with xylitol (originally advertised as "Dentec" by the company), a sugar alcohol that reduces plaque and protects teeth against decay associated with dental caries by helping to maintain a neutral pH balance in the mouth. It is also sweetened with sorbitol, Mannitol, Aspartame, Sucralose and Acesulfame potassium.

• Bubble Gum
• Cinnamon
• Minty Sweet Twist
• Original
• Passionberry Twist
• Spearmint
• Strawberry Twist
• Tropical Twist
• Watermelon Twist
• Wild Blueberry Twist
• Wintergreen

Trident Fusion

Limited store availability now.[1]

Trident White

Trident White (formerly Trident Advantage until 2001), a pellet gum, does not contain xylitol. It does, however, contain a non-abrasive, peroxide-free whitener (patented by Cadbury Adams) that breaks up extrinsic stains on teeth. Trident White no longer contains Recaldent (casein phosphopeptide-amorphous calcium phosphate), a milk-derived ingredient that aids in the remineralization of teeth.

• Cinnamon Tingle
• Cool Bubble
• Cool Colada
• Cool Mangoberry
• Cool Rush
• Peppermint
• Spearmint
• Wintergreen

Trident Splash

Trident Splash is also a pellet gum, except each piece is filled with a gel-like liquid that is flavored differently from its outer shell. Trident splash contains the ingredient Gelatin and thus is not suitable for vegans or people who only eat meat or Kosher foods, except for the products produced for the Israeli market which are made with kosher beef gelatin under rabbinical supervision and approval of the Israeli Chief Rabbinate. Introduced in July 2009.

• Apple Raspberry
• Citrus Blackberry
• Orange Swirl
• Pucker Me Berry
• Strawberry Lime
• Peppermint Swirl

Trident Layers

Trident Layers is a soft gum with a flavoured layer between two normal sized pieces of trident original gum. It is sugar free and is sweetened with artificial sugars. It arrived in Canada by 2010 to compete up against Excel Mist.

• Orchard Peach & RipeMango *Fresh Peppermint & Smooth Spearmint
• Cool Mint & Melon Fresco
• Green Apple & Golden Pineapple
• Wild Strawberry & Tangy Citrus *Sweet Cherry & Island Lime This gum contains soy lecithin, aspartame, phenylalanine, and other sweeteners. The Tangy Citrus flavour is mostly composed of grapefruit^[4]

Trident Xtra Care

Trident Xtra Care is a soft gum that is very much like the original Trident, except for that it contains Recaldent. Recaldent is a type of calcium that is claimed to be absorbed into the tooth, strengthening teeth against plaque acids. It is said to protect the teeth from future damage and make them stronger.

• Cool Citrus
• Cool Mint
• Peppermint
• Spearmint

Trident Vitality

Vigorate – Citrus and strawberry flavored with Vitamin C. One piece of Trident Vitality Vigorate contains 10% of the Daily Value of Vitamin C.^{[citation needed]}

Rejuve – A blend of mint and white tea.

Awaken – A peppermint flavored gum with a dash of ginseng.-Source: Trident.com

Trident vitality is a brand of that aims to "add a little piece of delicious well-being to the gum-chewing experience, with Vitamin C, ginseng or white tea infused into each delicious piece." The gum comes in packs of 9, which, compared to other types of gum, is small. For example, Orbit (gum) has 14 pieces per pack, and 5 (gum) has 15 pieces per pack.

United Kingdom

7 Flavors of Trident currently exist in the UK, after a period of new flavours and discontinuations. .

Trident Soft

Trident Soft are long, thin strips of gum. They are sold in packs of 14 pieces and in four different flavors:

• Tropical Twist
• Strawberry Smoothie

Trident Fresh

• Cool Lemon (Discontinued)
• Oooh Peppermint (Renamed Trident Peppermint Splash)
• Aahh Spearmint (Renamed Trident Spearment Splash)

Trident Sweet Kicks

Sweet Kicks are only available in one flavor so far and were released on the 14th of July 2007. They do not have a liquid center (They have since been discontinued).

• Chocolate Mint

Trident Splash

Trident Splash is a pellet gum with a liquid center. It is currently sold in single blister packs containing 9 pieces:

• Strawberry and Lime - The only flavour to survive (UK)
• Vanilla and Mint - Now discontinued (UK)
• Raspberry and Peach - Now discontinued (UK)
• Apple and Apricot - Now discontinued (UK)
• Citrus and Blackberry - Now discontinued (UK)
• Orange Swirl (Canada)
• Spearmint and Watermelon (Canada)
• Winter Wave (Canada)

References

1. ^ American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry. (2006) Policy on the Use of Xylitol in Caries Prevention.
2. ^ http://www.snopes.com/critters/crusader/xylitol.asp
3. ^ http://www.ohmidog.com/tag/trident/
4. ^ http://www.tridentgum.com/textonly/faq.php

1. ^http://www.tridentgum.com/#/products

External links

• Official site
• Official UK site
• Trident Revolution Website
• Trident fact sheet