Even though I have known about the benefits of Xylitol for several years now, I find that it is still a relatively unknown sweetener with lots of benefits for us. We have been telling our patients at Southern California Dental health Associates for a while about the benefits of Xylitol, so let me share a bit with you.
The more Xylitol we have and the less sugar the better for us. Xylitol is actually a sugar alcohol ( a 5 carbon sugar) that is found in beets, raspberries and the bark of Birch trees. It is as sweet as sugar but has less calories so it cuts calories and CAVITIES.
Xylitol stops some of the bad bacteria that cause cavities from being able to attach to teeth and other tissues of the mouth. Secondly, the bacteria in the mouth cannot use Xylitol as fuel for causing cavities like it can sugar. Xylitol helps the uptake in fluoride onto teeth and lastly, it has been show to help reduce plaque levels which is the first stage of cavity formation.
To get the full benefits of Xylitol you should have a daily intake of 5 grams (three to five pieces of gum a day). You can find Xylitol in all sorts of products today including chewing gums, mints, toothpastes and mouthwashes. There is starting to be some candy on the market that has it as well. In order to have a good sense of how much Xylitol is in a product you should make sure that it is the first ingredient listed or it may not have enough Xylitol in it.
At Southern California Dental health Associates we carry a variety of products that have Xylitol in them. We have gum, mints tooth paste and cavity protection rinses. If you would like to find out more about these products, or have any questions about any other products give us a call at 323-934-3341.