Xylitol Facts
In ordinary term, xylitol is a sweetener that can be used as a substitute for sugar. Studies have shown that it has benefits not found in sugar. It is also found to prevent tooth decays and can be used as sugar substitute in food for people with diabetes.
Chemically, xylitol is not a sugar compound. There are various kinds of sugar, namely, fructose and glucose, among others. Xylitol is a sugar alcohol and has five instead of six carbon atoms. It is almost similar to and is as sweet as sucrose.
German and French chemists discovered xylitol in the late 1900s. It is found in some fruits such as raspberries and strawberries. It can also be found in some vegetables and even in some mushrooms.
How does xylitol prevent tooth decay? It prevents the occurrence of acid attack, that's how. The food that we eat contains sugar that aids in the proliferation of certain bacteria in the mouth. Those bacteria can penetrate the surface of our teeth through the acids produced by metabolic process.
Acidity is measured by "pH". When the pH of plaque falls down to 5.5 or lower, calcium is being stripped away from our tooth's surface. Then, our tooth's enamel will start to dissolve slowly. This is when tooth cavities will be formed. As it goes on further, the enamel will become porous and vulnerable to bacteria and will later lead to tooth decay.
Xylitol stops the growth of bacteria by hampering their metabolism process. This will then prevent the acid attack that causes tooth decay. Lactobacilli and streptococci are the leading bacteria that cause tooth decay. With xylitol intake, the growth of these bacteria can fall to as much as 90%. Since the bacteria become incapable of producing acid, the enamel stays safe from acid attacks and cavity cannot be formed.
Our mouth is being protected from bacteria by our saliva. It maintains the desired pH level to prevent bacteria from producing acid that destroys our teeth. However, too much consumption of sugar in our daily diet limits the protective capability of saliva or may render it useless.
Since most of us consume too much sugar in a day, we need to brush our teeth often. The fluoride in toothpaste helps wash out acids formed on the enamel. On the other hand, xylitol that is present in our saliva can make our mouth more alkaline. It raises amino acids and ammonia causing the pH level to rise and halt the production of bacteria.
After you've known the benefits of xylitol, you are probably interested about how you can avail of xylitol. It is being used in the production of chewing gum sweeteners. Dentists found that gums with xylitol is a good way of adding the compound to our saliva. Chewing in itself facilitates the production of more saliva. Presence of xylitol and more saliva secretion means more protection against tooth decay-causing bacteria.
Your teeth are one of the most important parts of the body. We need them for crushing our food for better digestion. Toothache is not something that can be taken lightly, either. It's a curse if you suffer from it and extracting the tooth responsible for the pain may not be immediately possible. Most dentists would first give you medication to stop toothache before they can extract the tooth.
With healthy teeth, you can always have a ready smile for everyone without hesitation. It can give you more confidence talking to anyone. Manufacturers would, hopefully, find ways to include xylitol in our daily diet so that our teeth would always be healthy and strong. - 17269
Chemically, xylitol is not a sugar compound. There are various kinds of sugar, namely, fructose and glucose, among others. Xylitol is a sugar alcohol and has five instead of six carbon atoms. It is almost similar to and is as sweet as sucrose.
German and French chemists discovered xylitol in the late 1900s. It is found in some fruits such as raspberries and strawberries. It can also be found in some vegetables and even in some mushrooms.
How does xylitol prevent tooth decay? It prevents the occurrence of acid attack, that's how. The food that we eat contains sugar that aids in the proliferation of certain bacteria in the mouth. Those bacteria can penetrate the surface of our teeth through the acids produced by metabolic process.
Acidity is measured by "pH". When the pH of plaque falls down to 5.5 or lower, calcium is being stripped away from our tooth's surface. Then, our tooth's enamel will start to dissolve slowly. This is when tooth cavities will be formed. As it goes on further, the enamel will become porous and vulnerable to bacteria and will later lead to tooth decay.
Xylitol stops the growth of bacteria by hampering their metabolism process. This will then prevent the acid attack that causes tooth decay. Lactobacilli and streptococci are the leading bacteria that cause tooth decay. With xylitol intake, the growth of these bacteria can fall to as much as 90%. Since the bacteria become incapable of producing acid, the enamel stays safe from acid attacks and cavity cannot be formed.
Our mouth is being protected from bacteria by our saliva. It maintains the desired pH level to prevent bacteria from producing acid that destroys our teeth. However, too much consumption of sugar in our daily diet limits the protective capability of saliva or may render it useless.
Since most of us consume too much sugar in a day, we need to brush our teeth often. The fluoride in toothpaste helps wash out acids formed on the enamel. On the other hand, xylitol that is present in our saliva can make our mouth more alkaline. It raises amino acids and ammonia causing the pH level to rise and halt the production of bacteria.
After you've known the benefits of xylitol, you are probably interested about how you can avail of xylitol. It is being used in the production of chewing gum sweeteners. Dentists found that gums with xylitol is a good way of adding the compound to our saliva. Chewing in itself facilitates the production of more saliva. Presence of xylitol and more saliva secretion means more protection against tooth decay-causing bacteria.
Your teeth are one of the most important parts of the body. We need them for crushing our food for better digestion. Toothache is not something that can be taken lightly, either. It's a curse if you suffer from it and extracting the tooth responsible for the pain may not be immediately possible. Most dentists would first give you medication to stop toothache before they can extract the tooth.
With healthy teeth, you can always have a ready smile for everyone without hesitation. It can give you more confidence talking to anyone. Manufacturers would, hopefully, find ways to include xylitol in our daily diet so that our teeth would always be healthy and strong. - 17269
posted by X - Men at
2:33 AM
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