Xylitol: A Sweet That Your Dentist Can Agree To

Years of studies show that hygiene, diet, and fluoride can help reduce the chance of cavity formation, but could a sugar substitute also be helpful? Xylitol may be your answer.

*A cavity forms when bacteria in your mouth consume the sugars we eat. Eating foods that contain sugar gives cavity causing bacteria the energy to multiply, producing acids that weaken the enamel on our teeth.

Xylitol is a sugar substitute extracted primarily from birch trees.  Unlike other sugar substitutes, xylitol cannot be metabolized by these cavity causing oral bacteria.  Since the bacteria cannot use xylitol for fuel, they end up dying.

In addition, xylitol is often used to sweeten gum or lozenges, increasing salivary flow and buffering the pH of the oral cavity.  It  is even added to some toothpastes.

The recommended daily dose of xylitol to benefit caries prevention is between 3-8 grams a day; however parental supervision is advised. Xylitol is safe when used in therapeutic doses, but unwanted side effects such as gas a diarrhea may occur with too much consumption.