The Miracle of Xylitol

The Spry tooth gel I use for my kids' dental care


A cool chart I found via Google


One of the xylitol products I use in baking

Gerritt had another dental check up & tooth cleaning this week. His teeth were in excellent shape, & I felt so grateful to have discovered xylitol about a year ago. I've decided to go a Google search on the topic in order to share xylitol's benefits with others.
Xylitol is a naturally occurring sugar alcohol sweetener used a sugar substitute. It is found in fibers of many fruits & vegetables. Strawberries, raspberries & yellow plums are examples of xylitol-containing fruits while corn, mushrooms, lettuce & endive are some of the xylitol-containing vegetables.
Xylitol is a "tooth-friendly" sugar. It has a dental plaque-reducing effect by attracting & then "starving" harmful micro-organisms, allowing the mouth to remineralize damaged teeth. The same effect also interferes with yeast, so xylitol should not be used for making yeast-based breads. Xylitol is specific in its inhibition of Mutans Streptococci, bacteria that are significant contributors to tooth decay. Xylitol also inhibits the growth of Streptococcus pneumoniae as well as the attachment of Haemophilus influenzae on the nasopharyngeal cells, making xylitol nose spray a very marketable product.
Saliva containing xylitol is more alkaline than saliva containing other sugar products. When saliva is alkaline (its pH is > 7), calcium & phosphate salts in saliva start to precipitate into those parts of enamel where they are lacking (the remineralization process).
Xylitol is safe for pregnant & nursing women, & its regular use reduces the probability of transmitting the Streptococcus mutans bacteria from mother to child during the first 2 years of life by as much as 80%. Although it may seem like a good idea to use xylitol to care for your dog's teeth, it should never be done as xylitol is toxic to dogs, causing severe hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) & resulting seizures & death.
Xylitol may be used for cooking & baking. Xylitol doesn't break down with heat & has the same sweetness as sugar (simply use the same amount - 1 part of xylitol for 1 part of sugar). One teaspoon (5 grams) of xylitol contains 9.6 calories, as compared to one teaspoon of sugar, which contains 15 calories. Xylitol has a lower impact on a person's blood sugar (compared to that of regular sugar) with a glycemic index of 13 (glucose has a glycemic index of 100!). Xylitol consumption can result in temporary gastrointestinal side effects such as bloating & diarrhea, however, adaptation occurs with regular intake.
Xylitol is used around the world, mainly as a sweetener in chewing gums & pastilles, as well as in oral hygiene products such as toothpaste, fluoride tablets & mouthwashes. I even found a recipe for an inexpensive homemade mouthwash that may be a good addition to one's oral care routine:

Add 1 teaspoon of pure xylitol, 1/4 teaspoon of sea salt & 1/4 teaspoon of calcium lactate. Put these ingredients in a glass & cover with hot water. Stir to dissolve the powders. Then, wait until it's a comfortable temperature. Rinse & gargle with the mixture. Take your time. The longer the exposure to your teeth & gums, the better. If possible, try to do this a few times a day.

Xylitol is all natural, relatively inexpensive, easily accessible & holds much promise in preventing dental decay. It is truly a miracle product!

Gerritt's Dental Visit

Sophia's first Halloween


Gerritt enjoying "hammer & nails" in his toddler class


Circle time!


Admiring a sprouted avocado seed


Painting with both hands!

Last week Gerritt had his dental check-up visit. Dr. Thomas did not find any dental concerns & praised me for being such an informed parent. Gerritt cried during the exam & fluoride application, however, had so much fun after the visit, he didn't want to leave. He wanted me to read him books, & he played with wheel magnets on the wall & with a plastic puzzle on the floor of the dental office. He also got a couple of stickers for being a good boy, so he kept admiring those.
Dr. Thomas doesn't know my personal health history, but I didn't see a dentist until I was 6 or 7 years old, & I went to one in my school (When I was growing up in Russia, every school had its own dentist on staff) only because my cheek swelled up. I had a dental abscess. The dentist did not use any anesthetic while slicing my swollen gum with a scalpel & doing a root canal, which was the standard of treatment back then. Needless to say, the trauma of this visit did not encourage me to return. There was no such thing as preventive dental care in Russia (no, no dental cleanings every 6 months), & you went to the dentist only if you were in pain.
I remember spending most of my early childhood crying in pain due to toothaches. I was never taught how to brush or floss, & ate chocolates & fruits at bedtime regularly. I am not sure why my parents or grandparents never took me to the dentist - maybe they thought there was no need to worry about "baby" teeth? And here I am many years later having had fillings in all but 8 of my teeth & more than 9 crowns altogether. If you think there is another parent out there who is more concerned about their child's dental health than me, think again. I am determined to spare my children the unnecessary pain & suffering I went through since tooth decay is largely preventable.
I brush Gerritt's teeth using an electic toothbrush every morning & night using Spry Dental Defense System Tooth Gel, which contains bacteria-fighting xylitol. Xylitol helps raise the pH of the mouth (from acidic to alkaline); inhibits plaque formation; enhances the mineralization of the enamel (it is even effective in treating small decay spots); & stimulates saliva flow. Xylitol is not just for the young. A Finnish study showed that children whose teeth are colonized between 19-31 months of age by Streptococcus mutans bacteria are more likely to have a large number of cavities. Most children acquire these bacteria from their mothers by sharing food, food utensils & kissing. The study showed a 70% reduction in tooth decay amoung children whose mothers chewed xylitol gum (see How Xylitol-containing Products Affect Cariogenic Bacteria. J. Am. Dent. Assoc., April 2000). A study conducted at Harvard School of Dental Medicine concluded that "xylitol can significantly decrease the incidence of dental caries."
Dr. Thomas shared the following educational resources with us:

1) CariFree - I found its article on preventing cavities to be especially helpful.

2) Dr. John's Candies - a variety of tooth-friendly, sugar-free sweets.

3) Spry Gum - xylitol-containing, sugar-free gum.

4) Weleda toothpaste - Calendula & Ratanhia toothpastes contain licorice root extract, which inactivates cavity-causing bacteria for up to 3 months.

I have certainly learned a lot & look forward to implementing more healthy lifestyle changes into our lives. Prevention is worth an ounce of cure, that's for sure!
On a different note, Gerritt is still enjoying his toddler class. We have progressed from holding Mommy's hand to holding his stuffed dog only to holding nothing! Even the teachers commented when Gerritt's dog didn't show up for class one day. He still wants me near him at all times, however. I've attempted to attend the lecture for Moms the other week & had to leave after just a few minutes. Yes, Gerritt is more comfortable in his toddler class. Instead of whispering, "Mommy, come!," he yelled it out loud! :-)