Pop Your Chewing Gum

Bubbles are fun to make with gum, but have you ever wondered if there was anything else besides bubble-blowing that you could do? The answer is yes, and it's called gum popping.

Steps

  1. Understand how popping your gum works. The pop noise comes from pockets of air caught in the gum as you chew. Think of it as a bubble but inside your mouth instead.
  2. Get a fresh piece of chewing gum (not bubble gum). Chewing gum tends to have less additives in than bubble gum, and thus is easier to manipulate.
  3. Chew the gum until it's easy enough to stretch over your tongue without breaking. This takes about 3 minutes. To see if the gum is at the right consistency, stretch it with your tongue. You will know its right if the gum is smooth and doesn't break that easily when stretched.
  4. When the gum is ready, chew it into a rough sausage shape. Take care not to put deep teeth marks into the gum, otherwise when you stretch it out, it'll be all holey and won't trap any air.
  5. Now, using your tongue, flatten the sausage shape against the back of your front teeth, while simultaneously opening your jaw very slowly. This allows the gum to stretch smoothly. Take care not to make it too flat or it'll break too early when you try to pop it. If you make it too thin, it will not pop well; if it is too thick, it will not pop at all.
  6. Here it gets a little tricky, but don't worry, practice makes perfect. Carefully maneuver the flattened piece of gum to the front of your mouth; the gum should cover the front of your upper-front teeth. Use the tongue to fasten the gum to the back of the lower-front teeth, and make sure that you keep your jaw slightly open so that the bubble can form. Make sure that there are not gaps which air will travel through.
  7. Part your lips slightly and suck in some air. The gum should snap. If you suck in sharply, the sound will be louder. If you suck in softly, you'll just make a nice bubble on the inside of your mouth. it is preferable to suck in rather sharply and quickly. You can also create a "mobile gum popper". To do this, seal off the gum pocket of air by pressing the tip of your tongue against the back of your front teeth. You should now have a little pocket of air. To pop it, press the whole thing against the roof of your mouth while leaving your lips parted. If this doesn't work, mold the gum with your hands and carefully stick it on to your front teeth and blow.

Tips

  • Make sure you chew long enough to dissolve the sugar in the gum as sugar makes the gum too soft and pockets can't form.
  • Practice. If you don't get it right the first time, just keep trying until you do . Soon it'll be as easy as chewing gum.
  • Don't use any left-over, hard gum.
  • If you've been chewing your gum for awhile (perhaps an hour or so) this may not work as well.
  • This doesn't really work if you have braces. Also make sure you practice everyday, it takes patience.
  • Use a new piece of gum whenever you want to pop or do other tricks. Adding new gum to your old gum doesn't work as well.
  • If your gum falls out of your mouth while you're popping, pick it up and throw it away. Never put it back into your mouth as you can get sick.
  • You can always blow a very small bubble, pull it back in your mouth, then flatten it with the roof of your mouth. It will make a popping sound most times. But just stick with whatever's comfortable for you.
  • Make sure you don't swallow the gum.

Warnings

  • If you chew too hard your jaws may seem stiff, but the stiffness will ease away in time.
  • If you have braces, it may get stuck.
  • If the gum gets too hot, snapping will be more difficult.
  • Popping your gum is quite obnoxious for those around you and will result in looks of contempt from many.
  • Always dispose of gum properly. Gum on the sidewalk can hurt animals and cause all kinds of problems.

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

Retrieved from "https://kipkis.com/index.php?title=Pop_Your_Chewing_Gum&oldid=324382"