Trident (gum) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Trident

Owner	Perfetti Van Melle
Country	United States
Introduced	1960; 65 years ago (1960)
Related brands	Dentyne
Previous owners	American Chicle Company > Adams Gum • Warner-Lambert > Pfizer • Cadbury Schweppes • Kraft > Mondelez • Perfetti Van Melle
Website	tridentgum.com

Trident is a popular brand of sugar-free chewing gum. It is owned by an Italian-Dutch company called Perfetti Van Melle. The gum first appeared in 1960, created by the American Chicle Company. A few years later, Warner-Lambert bought the company. Trident gum became available in the United Kingdom in 2007. At that time, Cadbury Schweppes owned the brand.

You can find Trident gum in over 70 countries worldwide. However, it sometimes has different names. For example, it's called Stimorol in many parts of Europe and Africa. In Argentina, it's Beldent, and in France, it's Hollywood.

The Story of Trident Gum

Trident gum was first created in 1960 by the American Chicle Company. It was special because it was one of the first sugar-free gums. Just two years later, Warner-Lambert bought the company.

In 1970, Trident started to be sold in other countries like Canada, Spain, and Switzerland. Television ads for Trident began in the 1970s. These ads helped sales grow a lot, from $27 million in 1973 to $80 million in 1976. By 1977, Trident was the most popular sugar-free gum available. To focus on Trident, the company stopped making some older sugar-based gums.

Over the years, Trident changed owners several times. It was part of Warner-Lambert until 1997. Then, it became part of Adams. In 2000, Pfizer bought Warner-Lambert. Later, in 2002, Pfizer sold the Adams candy division, including Trident, to Cadbury Schweppes. By 2005, Trident's sales around the world increased by 20%.

In 2010, Kraft Foods bought Cadbury. By 2011, Trident was the top gum brand in the United States. In 2012, Kraft split into two companies, and Trident became part of Mondelez International. Trident gum was introduced in China in 2015.

More recently, in 2022, Mondelez decided to sell its gum brands in North America and Europe. So, in 2023, Perfetti Van Melle, a European candy maker, bought Trident and other gum brands.

Different Kinds of Trident Gum

Trident has created many different types of gum over the years. Each one offers something a little different!

Trident Original: The Classic Gum

This is where it all started! Trident Original was the very first kind of Trident gum. It comes in small, wrapped sticks. You can find it in many classic flavors like Original, Bubble gum, Spearmint, Cinnamon, Watermelon Twist, and Tropical Twist.

Trident Advantage: For Stronger Teeth

In the 1990s, Trident Advantage was launched. This gum included a special ingredient called Recaldent. It was shown to help make teeth stronger.

Trident White: For a Brighter Smile

Trident White came out in 2001. This gum was made to help whiten your teeth. It focuses on giving you a brighter smile.

Trident Splash: Flavor in the Middle

Trident Splash arrived in 2005. This gum has a hard outer shell and a yummy liquid center. It's designed to give you two flavors in one bite! Some early flavors included peppermint-vanilla and strawberry-lime.

Trident Xtra Care: Helping Your Teeth Recover

Introduced in 2008, Trident Xtra Care is a sugar-free gum. It is meant to help put minerals back into your teeth. It uses a special ingredient, a type of calcium from milk. This gum is known by different names in various countries. For example, it's called Trident Total in Colombia and Brazil.

Trident Sweet Kicks: A Chocolate Treat

In 2008, Trident also offered Sweet Kicks. This was a chocolate-flavored gum. It was available in places like the UK and Mexico.

Trident Fresh: For a Fresh Feeling

Also in 2008, Trident Fresh was introduced in the UK. This gum focused on giving you a fresh feeling and great flavor. It came in flavors like peppermint, spearmint, and lemon.

Trident Layers: Double the Flavor

Trident Layers came out in 2009. This gum has different layers, giving you multiple flavors at once. Early flavors included Wild Strawberry & Tangy Orange.

Trident Unwrapped: Easy to Grab

In 2014, Trident Unwrapped was introduced in the US. This gum comes in a bottle with unwrapped, slab-shaped pieces. It makes it easy to grab a piece on the go.

Trident Vibes: Cube-Shaped Fun

A container of Trident Vibes gum.

Trident Vibes was created in 2018. These are small, cube-shaped pieces of gum that are not individually wrapped. They come in fun flavors like "Sour Berry Twist" and "Tropical Beat." You can even find flavors inspired by Sour Patch Kids candies!

Trident's Famous Ads

When Trident first came out in 1960, its slogan was "The Great Taste that Is Good for Your Teeth." This was one of the first big ad campaigns to talk about how chewing gum could help your dental health.

For many years, Trident used a very famous slogan: “Four out of five dentists surveyed recommend sugarless gum for their patients who chew gum.” This slogan came from a survey of dentists in the 1960s. About 80% of them said they would suggest sugar-free gum to their patients who chewed gum. This phrase became very well-known with Trident.

Later, in the early 2000s, Trident changed its slogan to "See what Unfolds."

Xylitol and Pet Safety

Trident gum contains an ingredient called xylitol. Xylitol is a type of sugar alcohol that is known to be "tooth-friendly." This means it can be good for your teeth.

However, it's very important to know that xylitol is highly toxic to dogs. Even a small amount can be dangerous for them. Always keep gum and other products with xylitol away from your pets to keep them safe.

See also

In Spanish: Trident (chicle) para niños

• Dentyne