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Spry Dental Defense

The Most Effective Xylitol Products

What are the Most Effective Xylitol Products?

If we are looking for the most effective xylitol products, what are we looking for? The most effective xylitol products are the ones that are going to do our teeth the most good.   You can put xylitol in just about anything you are going to put sugar in, but for our teeth we are thinking of the most effectiveness we can get.

Let’s concentrate on oral care products that are used regularly.

  • Toothpaste
  • Mouthwash
  • Breath spray or dry mouth spray

Confections that encourage chewing or sucking:

  • Chewing gum
  • Hard candy
  • Mints

Look at labels first. Look for xylitol as the first or better yet, the only sweetener on the label.  Look for other ingredients such as sorbitol, sucralose, and others, which are all 6 carbon sweeteners and therefore, reduce the effectiveness of xylitol.

Damaging vs Protective Factors

Damaging:

  • Sugar and fermentable carbohydrate
  • Acid
  • Xerostomia
  • Virulent “acid” breath

Protective:

  • Xylitol
  • Neutral, alkaline pH
  • Saliva
  • Calcium, fluoride
  • Non-acidogenic bacteria

Xylitol promotes protective factors. Xylitol stimulates saliva, increases salivary pH, promotes remineralization, and suppresses acidogenic bacteria such as Strep Mutans (MS). With the help of xylitol you can stop germs, the acid attacks, and tooth decay.

Dr. Peldyak believes frequency is more important than amount in the sense five separate 1 gram dosages in a day is better than one dosage of 5 grams.  The daily recommended range for xylitol is between 1 to 3 teaspoons (4 to 12 grams).  Since you’re going to be brushing your teeth anyway, using xylitol toothpaste morning and night allows you to cross off two of your recommended doses without having to even think twice about it.

If you are high risk for tooth decay, you might want to boost your frequency and dosages a little per day. High risk patients require at least 6 grams per day, where the average person should use at least 4 and up to 12.

When using xylitol, plaque becomes less acidic, less irritating to soft tissues, less inflammatory, less adhesive, and less harmful.  View all of our xylitol products.