How to Use Xylitol for Teeth: Its Benefits and How It Can Improve Your Oral Health

Xylitol Dental Benefits For the Mouth

There is a lot of information floating around about xylitol and its benefits, but it seems that people may be a little confused as to how to use it “therapeutically”. Because, there is a system to using it and it’s much more powerful than it just appearing in gum as a sweetener!

You see, in order for xylitol to do what it does in regards to helping prevent cavities and stop plaque from forming, you need to have it a few times a day. Why? Because almost everything we do throughout the day creates acids in the mouth due to acid-producing bacteria, and every time you take in a carbohydrate in your mouth it increases the acids for 20 minutes, and feeds the bacteria in plaque. The dental benefits of xylitol include reducing tooth decay, preventing cavity formation, and decreasing gum problems.

Yup, even “healthy” foods help increase tooth decay, and grazers have the worst time (again, because every time you eat a carb it raises the acids in your mouth for 20 min). Those raisins and cranberries in your trail mix may even be the worst, because dehydrated foods have the highest concentration of sugar, and they stick to the grooves of the teeth and eat away at the enamel.

Our bodies produce xylitol; we just need to add a bit more each day

Fortunately, however, there is xylitol. Xylitol is a naturally occurring sweetener that comes from things like birch wood and corn. In fact, our bodies produce about 15 grams a day of xylitol, so all we need to do is add some more and amazing things happen.

Xylitol is a natural sweetener derived from plants and is approved by international health organizations. Amazing things like remineralization of the teeth, neutralization of the pH in the mouth, stopping plaque from continually growing (which is what sugar does and why plaque gets so acidic over time) and it increases saliva which is great for dry mouth sufferers.

Understanding how to use it for oral health

So now that you have heard a few of the benefits, you need to know how to use it to get the best results. In adults, you need 6-10 grams a day in order for it to be effective and you need to spread that out throughout the day. For kids, you need 5 grams a day, still spread out in at least 3 instances. Here is an example of what I do.

• 1 tsp of xylitol granules in my morning water (looks and tastes like sugar). Swish the xylitol water around your mouth to coat your teeth prior to swallowing. Each tsp of xylitol contains 4 grams of xylitol. Click here for a link to 100 % birch xylitol that is manufactured in the US vs. corn xylitol that is manufactured in China.

• A xylitol candy, xylitol mint or gum after each meal. I have fallen in love with Ice Chips (have you seen the grannies on Shark Tank?) Make sure to pay attention to the amount of xylitol per serving. You want 1-2 grams in order for it to be effective. Other great products are Zollipops (lollipops for kids to avoid choking on small candies).

• In the evening, brush and rinse with products that contain xylitol toothpaste. We use a combination of Squigle toothpaste (available with and without fluoride), Vita-Myr herbal toothpaste which is SLS-free, fluoride-free, and comes in both adult and children’s formula. If you are looking for a product for your little ones that is safe to swallow, look into Tooth Builder by Squigle which is safe to swallow and has the highest concentration of xylitol (36%).

• For overnight relief use xylimelts. Xylimelts are disks of xylitol that adhere to the gum tissue just above the back teeth, and slowly dissolve xylitol over a 6-8 hr period. They are great to use overnight, and many people report relief from dry mouth when used throughout the day as well. There is no effect on speaking, or appearance when using Xylimelts. Xylimelts are available in mild mint and non mint options for those who suffer with mint sensitivity.

• Perhaps you are in an area that candies and gums just aren’t possible or cost effective. If that is the case, grab a bag of xylitol (typically $9.00/lb for USA non-China produced xylitol) and chew it up, let it dissolve in your saliva and swish that around in your mouth and swallow. You can also chew xylitol gum for similar benefits. Remember that each teaspoon is 4 grams, so you will need 2-2.5 tsp throughout the day to be effective, and you need to have it a total of 3-5 times a day. There are approx 96 tsp in a pound of xylitol, which would last you about 1.5 months. The easiest thing to remember is to strive for 5! 5 times a day with a total of 5-10 grams in total.

Reversing the current trend

This easy to use protocol will not only help you stop cavities and plaque from forming, it will help ensure that you are not infecting the ones you love! Both cavities and gum disease are based on acids and bacteria, and this bacteria is transmitted when we kiss, share utensils and drinking cups and blow on hot food to cool it for our little ones.

Xylitol helps to neutralize acids, and it helps to stop plaque from forming because the bacteria responsible for plaque accept xylitol as “food”, but it doesn’t deliver any nutrients to the bacteria and essentially starves it! Additionally, xylitol offers significant oral health benefits, such as reducing tooth decay and increasing salivary flow.

We have been told that brushing, flossing and visiting the dentist is the key to dental health, but as someone who has suffered from cavities and gum disease, and has parents who both suffer from cavities and gum disease the current trend just doesn’t add up!

Cavities are the #2 infectious disease, only 2nd to the common cold, but this can stop with knowing what products to use and more importantly how to use them!

Only time will tell

Give it 6 months and you will be amazed. Chewing xylitol gum accelerates the processes of rinsing away acid, uptake of beneficial calcium phosphate molecules to remineralize tooth enamel, and reduction in salivary and plaque S. mutans levels, ultimately leading to a decrease in caries incidence and long-term caries prevention.

There is no greater feeling knowing that you, yourself are able to control the disease that is partially responsible for so many other diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, premature birth and many other chronic inflammatory disease for yourself and the ones you love. Yes, mouth bacteria play a role in many of these chronic issues, and if you control the bacteria in your mouth and under your gums with xylitol chewing gum, you help to control the issues associated with disease!

Occasional side effects

You may need to control the amount of xylitol you consume in the beginning. Initial side effects that may occur with the use of xylitol are gas and diarrhea. To minimize gas and diarrhea, xylitol should be introduced slowly, over a week or more, to acclimate the body, especially in young children.  These symptoms usually occur at higher dosages and will subside if slowly introduced.  And please, keep xylitol away from pets, like many things including chocolate, raisins, garlic and onions, xylitol is harmful to dogs.

Take control of your health and avoid the pain, shame, and expense of unnecessary dental work.Have a question or comment, leave it below and I promise to respond!And of course, we would love you to share this.

References

• Guideline on Xylitol Use in Caries Prevention Originating Committee Council on Clinical Affairs 2011

• American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry. Policy on the use of xylitol in caries prevention. Pediatr Dent 2010;32(special issue):36-8.

• Trahan L, Söderling E, Dréan MF, Chevrier MC, Isokan­gas P. Effect of xylitol consumption on the plaque-saliva distribution of mutans streptococci and the occurrence and long-term survival of xylitol resistant strains. J Dent Res 1992;71(11):1785-91.

• Holgerson PL, Sjöström I, Stecksén-Blicks C, Twetman S. Dental plaque formation and salivary mutans streptococci in school children after use of xylitol-containing chewing gum. Int J Paediatr Dent 2007;17(2):79-85.

• Kiss Your Dentist Goodbye, Dr. Ellie Phillips DDS

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