Xylitol, the Best Additive Since Fluoride!

This is a reprise of a previous article within my site.  With the summer upon us our dietary habits may slip a bit.  Xylitol can minimize the damage!
Many of you may not be familiar with Xylitol, the sweetener that acts to prevent decay even when oral hygiene may be questionable in its effectiveness.  Xylitol is found in many sugar-free gums like Trident, Stride, and Koolerz gum.  It is also found in mints such as those found at your neighborhood’s Starbucks.
The reason why this sweetener is so sweet is because it acts to rid your mouth of the bacteria that causes decay.  This is key.  With the populations of bacteria in your mouth significantly decreased, the risk of decay goes down.  Bacteria are needed to change the sugars in your foods to acids.  It is these acids that etch away at the teeth to cause decay.  Without the bacteria the acids cannot form.
By chewing or enjoying the mints containing Xylitol three times daily for at least five minutes each time, you can achieve the recommended dosage to prevent decay as much as possible.  We do not advocate having poor oral hygiene; however, in those cases when hygiene is poor this Xylitol regimen may be able to significantly prevent problems.
If you have any questions about Xylitol feel free to contact us.  If you are interested in becoming a patient in our dental office since we are so focused on prevention, we invite you to contact us as well.
We thank you for your interest in our website and we certainly welcome you to come back soon.  We strive to continually keep this site up to date, fresh, newsworthy, and technologically current.