Some Facts about Xylitol
Xylitol in layman's term is a sweetener substitute for sugar. According to studies, it has benefits that sugar doesn't have. It is said to prevent tooth decays and can also be used as a food sweetener for people suffering from diabetes.
The chemical composition of xylitol is not sugar. Fructose and glucose are examples of the kinds of sugar. Xylitol is actually a sugar alcohol with five instead of six carbon atoms. It can be compared to sucrose which taste as sweet as xylitol.
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.
So, how does xylitol prevent tooth decay? By preventing the occurrence of an acid attack. Every food that we eat that contains sugar multiplies certain bacteria on our teeth. They can penetrate the surface of our teeth with the help of acids produced by metabolic process.
"pH" is the measure for acidity. Calcium is being stripped away from the surface of our teeth when the pH level of plaque falls down to 5.5 or lower. With the acidity in the mouth, our tooth's enamel will slowly start to dissolve, thus, forming tooth cavities. As the acid goes on further, the enamel becomes porous and vulnerable to bacteria leading to tooth decay.
Xylitol can prevent the acid attack by stopping the complete metabolism process of bacteria that causes tooth decay. Tooth decay is caused by the leading bacteria known as lactobacilli and streptococci. It is said that presence of xylitol results to a fall of as much as 90% of bacteria. The enamel stays safe from acid attacks and cavity are not produced because those bacteria can no longer produce acid.
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.
Most of us go beyond two instances of sugar intake a day so we need fluoride to wash out acids formed on the enamel. That's why we often brush our teeth. On the other hand, xylitol, when contained in our saliva, makes our mouth more alkaline and it raises amino acids and ammonia which causes the pH to rise. This will halt the production of bacteria.
You are probably interested where you can get xylitol to avail of its benefits. Manufacturers now use it in the production of chewing gum sweeteners. Dentists agree that such gum is a good way of adding xylitol to our saliva. Also, increased saliva secretion is stimulated by chewing a gum. More saliva secretion and xylitol can result to better buffer against tooth decay caused by 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. - 17268
The chemical composition of xylitol is not sugar. Fructose and glucose are examples of the kinds of sugar. Xylitol is actually a sugar alcohol with five instead of six carbon atoms. It can be compared to sucrose which taste as sweet as xylitol.
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.
So, how does xylitol prevent tooth decay? By preventing the occurrence of an acid attack. Every food that we eat that contains sugar multiplies certain bacteria on our teeth. They can penetrate the surface of our teeth with the help of acids produced by metabolic process.
"pH" is the measure for acidity. Calcium is being stripped away from the surface of our teeth when the pH level of plaque falls down to 5.5 or lower. With the acidity in the mouth, our tooth's enamel will slowly start to dissolve, thus, forming tooth cavities. As the acid goes on further, the enamel becomes porous and vulnerable to bacteria leading to tooth decay.
Xylitol can prevent the acid attack by stopping the complete metabolism process of bacteria that causes tooth decay. Tooth decay is caused by the leading bacteria known as lactobacilli and streptococci. It is said that presence of xylitol results to a fall of as much as 90% of bacteria. The enamel stays safe from acid attacks and cavity are not produced because those bacteria can no longer produce acid.
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.
Most of us go beyond two instances of sugar intake a day so we need fluoride to wash out acids formed on the enamel. That's why we often brush our teeth. On the other hand, xylitol, when contained in our saliva, makes our mouth more alkaline and it raises amino acids and ammonia which causes the pH to rise. This will halt the production of bacteria.
You are probably interested where you can get xylitol to avail of its benefits. Manufacturers now use it in the production of chewing gum sweeteners. Dentists agree that such gum is a good way of adding xylitol to our saliva. Also, increased saliva secretion is stimulated by chewing a gum. More saliva secretion and xylitol can result to better buffer against tooth decay caused by 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. - 17268
posted by X - Men at
9:48 AM
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