Oral Health benefits of Xylitol

Oral Health benefits of Xylitol

Thursday, September 6th, 2018

What you eat affects your oral health. For example, consuming food and beverages high in sugar can increase your risk of developing a cavity. Bacteria on your mouth feed on sugar and produce acids that start to wear away your tooth enamel, causing decay and cavities.

However, we understand that sometimes you crave a candy, chocolate etc and to satisfy your sweet tooth is to look for other sweeteners that don’t have the same effects as sugar. One such option is Xylitol!

What is Xylitol?

Xylitol is a natural sweetener made from the fibrous parts of plants. For this reason, it does not break down the same way that sugars do, thus it doesn’t leave damaging acids on your teeth. In fact,   it maintains a neutral level of pH inside your mouth.

How does Xylitol Impact Oral Health?

Regular Xylitol use is beneficial in repairing the enamel of your tooth that has been damaged by the bacterial attack. Because bacteria that cause cavities can’t digest Xylitol, so their growth is limited. And thus stimulates the production of saliva, which is able to repair the cavities. Hence, saliva washes away excess food particles, which stops bacteria from consuming them and growing.