How to Reduce your Risk of Cavities with Sugar Substitute Xylitol

Xylitol is a sugar substitute that is naturally found in fruit and vegetable fibers, such as corn husks and berries. Xylitol was first used in Finland and other places in Europe in the 19th century as an alternative to sugar for diabetics because the sugar did not affect insulin levels. Chewing gum also became available, and most of the gum in Europe today is made with xylitol rather than sugar.Xylitol is good for reducing cavities in the teeth. The first benefit is that the sugar does not promote tooth decay. The added benefit is that xylitol is believed to actually help teeth remineralize, repairing small cavities. Xylitol helps prevent plaque from sticking to teeth. This article will show you how to reduce your risk of cavities with sugar substitute xylitol.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• chewing gum with xylitol
• xylitol sugar substitute
• xylitol toothpaste
• other xylitol products
• Internet connection and computer or phone

Switch Gum

1. Chew gum with xylitol. The easiest way to reduce your risk of cavities with xylitol is to chew gum that has xylitol as the sweetener. Trident gum contains xylitol. You can also buy dental gum made with xylitol. One company that makes such gum is Spry, which you can find more about by reading the ehow article listed in the resources.

2. Eat xylitol mints. You can find these available by Spry and other manufacturers on the Internet.

3. Use a toothpaste that contains xylitol. As xylitol helps reduce the risk of cavities and even helps to reverse minor cavities, it's great to use a toothpaste with xylitol. You won't find most major brands of toothpaste including xylitol as an ingredient, so you'll need to search the Internet to find one or go to a health store. Just search the Internet for "xylitol toothpaste" or ask for it at your local nutrition shop. Spry makes such a toothpaste, and it is sold on the Vitamin Shoppe website.

4. Use an oral rinse with xylitol. You can use the oral rinse after eating or drinking a sugary beverage to help prevent the plaque from collecting on your teeth and promoting bacteria in your mouth. This will help reduce the risk of cavities. The oral rinse can also be used in the morning and at bedtime. You will find the oral rinse at many health stores and their websites, including the Spry website or Vitamin Shoppe.

5. Use xylitol as a sugar substitute. You can purchase xylitol sugar packets and bags of xylitol sugar. You can carry the xylitol sugar packets around in your purse and use them to sweeten your tea and coffee. The bags of sugar can stay at home and be used for your beverage needs.

6. Use xylitol instead of regular sugar in baking. Instead of using sugar to bake a cake, you can sweeten it with xylitol. Rather than use sugar to make your homemade salad dressing, you can use xylitol.

7. Purchase products that contain xylitol. You can find jams made with xylitol on the Spry website. You can also search the Internet for other products made with xylitol.

Tips & Warnings

• The best place to buy the Spry dental xylitol gum is on the Internet, at a site like the Vitamin Shoppe, which usually has the best discount prices.
• Chewing gum with xylitol or using an oral rinse or toothpaste immediately after eating something with sugar can help reduce the risk of getting cavities.
• Of course, using xylitol as the sweetener in the first place can help reduce that risk even more!
• You need about 6 to 10 grams of xylitol per day, which amounts to chewing about 5 to 10 pieces of xylitol gum. Or, you could use five xylitol sugar packets.
• Your dentist
• Xylitol shouldn't be your end all answer to fighting cavities. You still need to maintain good oral hygiene, by brushing and flossing at least twice daily and visiting the dentist regularly.
• Xylitol is not as effective if you only use it once daily. Using it throughout the day produces the best results. You need at least five grams per day.
• Xylitol has been known to cause upset stomachs, so monitor your usage.

Resources

• Ehow Article on Spry Products with Xylitol
• Vitamin Shoppe Website

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