When it comes to our teeth we can not be too careful. Proper oral care is essential to having and maintaining a healthy and bright smile. Prevention is the most important aspect of proper dental hygiene. While there is no substitute for regular brushing, flossing, and professional cleanings there are some products that can help in the fight against bacteria and dental decay. One of those products that has been growing in popularity is xylitol.
What is xylitol? Well if you haven’t heard already, according to my mesa dentist, xylitol is a proven cavity fighting sugar substitute. Xylitol is similar to sorbital which is a class of compounds know as “sugar alcohols. The amazing thing is the actual relative sweetness of this substitute when compared to the more traditional table sugar is nearly 100%. This means you can get the same sweetness from the same amount of substitute as you can from sucrose. Take a look at the chewing gum at the groceries store next time and you will see xylitol is used in most.
How exactly does it work? First realize how cavities and decay form. Dental decay is the result of acidic byproducts from bacteria. According to the leading research regular xylitol usage reduces acidic production of bacteria which means there is a much lower risk of demineralization of tooth structure from acidic bacteria.
One of the other important benefits of xylitol is that it is a naturally occurring compound found in many fruits and vegetables. Like raspberries, plums, strawberries and cauliflower. It is a very safe product.
There are a lot of bold claims coming from product promoting dental health and whitening but you need to know what actually works and what you can trust. You only get one set of mature teeth and the better care you can take care of them the happier and healthier you will be. Learn more about important preventative dentistry from your local dentist. If you are in the Mesa area, I recommend Mesa Dentistry.