Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Xylitol Helps Fight Tooth Decay

Xylitol is a natural sweetener that has been shown to help fight tooth decay. Many non sugar sweeteners like sorbitol will not contribute to tooth decay, but xylitol is unique in that it actually helps fight tooth decay. A cavity in a tooth is an infection by very specific types of acid producing bacteria. These bacteria need sugars for energy to produce the acids that leech the calcium from your teeth forming a cavity. The presence of xylitol actually inhibits these nasty bacteria when they try to digest it thereby reducing their presence in your mouth. Xylitol is found in many mints, candies, and gums. A certain dosage is needed each day to get this effect(5 or more grams). A great website I ran across on xylitol and how to use can be found here.... Xylitol.org.