Dental Currents July 2010

Xylitol, the dental friendly sweetener.

It is common knowledge that sugar consumption, especially between meals, is one of the leading causes of tooth decay. This process is caused by the bacteria in the mouth producing acids out of the sugar, which will erode the enamel of the tooth and stimulate the inflammatory breakdown in the dentin part of the tooth. In the early stages, this damage is recognized in x-rays and later on as a hole or cavity in the tooth.

What can be done to slow or halt the decay process? First, we could better clean our teeth to minimize the number of bacteria. Dental floss is used to clean between the teeth. Second, we could use topical fluoride in the office or in toothpaste to try to re-mineralize the acid eroded enamel. Third, we could eat less sugar, especially in-between meal snacks to reduce the food for the bacteria. Fourth, we could switch to xylitol as our preferred sweetener!

What is xylitol and how does it work? It is a natural sweetener mainly found in birch trees but also in some fruits and vegetables like plums, berries and endive. Small amounts are even produced in our liver so it is quite human friendly. Unlike sugar, however, its chemical structure does not allow oral bacteria to make an acid from it. This does two things. First of all, it reduces the acid available to erode the enamel of the tooth surface, thus minimizing the decay process. Secondly, when bacteria cannot feed themselves, they reduce in numbers. Essentially, when xylitol is substituted for sugar or other sweeteners, there are fewer bacteria and each produces less acid.

Xylitol should be taken several times throughout the day to maintain a low acid environment in the mouth. A toothpaste or gel used twice a day is ideal. Add to this a xylitol gum or mint a couple times per day. Shortly, xylitol-infused anti-cavity swabs for babies will be introduced. Caution, while xylitol is human friendly, it is toxic to dogs, even in small amounts.

In a few years, xylitol will become readily available in many forms. Presently, however, we try to bridge the availability gap by providing some of these products, such as the tooth gel, for sale in our office. Let us know if we can be of help.

The natural sweetener, xylitol, combined with reducing the consumption of other sugars, is one of the most potent tools we have to slow down or halt dental decay.

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