Fighting cavities is as easy as chewing gum.
Chewing sugarless gum will increase the production of saliva by 10 times your normal rate. This can be especially helpful after sugary meals to reverse drops in your oral pH and to keep bacteria in check. However, if you really want to hit plaque where it hurts, you want to chew Xylitol gum.
What is Xylitol?
Xylitol, which is also called birch sugar since it can be made from birch wood chips, is a normal intermediate in human metabolism. Unfortunately for acid producing bacteria, it is not part of their normal metabolism and it slows down their growth; it also gets in the way of bad bacteria sticking to your teeth in the first place.
Xylitol for New Moms
One of the really cool benefits of chewing xylitol gum is that it reduces the risk of transmission of cavity making bacteria from Moms to their children (yes smarts and good looks aren’t the only things kids get from their moms, but we’ll talk more about this in future posts). Children of mothers who chewed Xylitol gum as directed starting 3-6 months after child birth and continued until their children had all their baby teeth at the age of 2 had a dramatically lower risk for cavities.
Directions for Use
- Chew between 6-10g of xylitol per day in order to be effective against bacteria. This usually means you will need more than one piece and is easiest if you do it right after meals.
- Chew the gum for a minimum of 5 minutes. If you chew at least 2 grams worth of xylitol after all three meals you’ll easily hit your goal.
- Keep your gum away from your dog. Xylitol is toxic to dogs.
- Too much xylitol can cause mild diarrhea, so stick to the formula and don’t go way overboard.
- If you have TMJ problems try using Xylitol mints instead
Choosing a Xylitol Gum
Your best option is to choose a gum containing only xylitol sugars. Although gums containing sorbitol are still considered “sugarfree,” bacteria can use sorbitol to make acids, just in very small amounts. Also consumption of excess sugar alcohols (over 14 grams) can cause indigestion. If you are chewing a sugarfree gum that contains xylitol with other sugar alcohols like sorbitol and mannitol, you may end up consuming an excessive total amount of sugar alcohols in your attempt to reach your target dosage of xylitol and earn yourself an upset stomach. Whichever gum you choose, remember to chew 6-10 grams of xylitol per day and as a rule keep the total sugar alcohols consumed under 14 grams to avoid gastrointestinal discomfort. To help you stay on track, here is a list of brands of xylitol gums and their ingredients:
Spry Gum
Xylitol Content: .72 grams per piece
Ingredients: Xylitol, gum base, natural flavor (peppermint oil), vegetable glycerin, gum arabic, soy lecithin, beeswax
Epic Gum
Xylitol Content: 1.06 grams per piece
Ingredients: Xylitol, gum base, natural flavors, lecithin, gum arabic, titanium dioxide, carnauba wax
Miradent Gum
Xylitol Content: .72 grams per piece
Ingredients: Xylitol, gum base, natural & artificial flavors, Glycerin, gum arabic, Soy Lecithin, and Beeswax
XyliChew Gum
Xylitol Content: .5 grams per piece
Ingredients: Xylitol, gum base, natural flavors, arabic gum, lecithin, glycerine, beeswax, carnauba wax
Peelu Xylitol Gum
Xylitol Content: Unknown (likely .7 grams per piece)
Ingredients: Gum base (contains soy), xylitol, calcium stearate, natural peppermint flavor, gum arabic, peelu extract, rebiana (stevia extract), carnauba wax
Xyloburst
Xylitol Content: 1 gram per piece
Ingredients: Xylitol, gum base, natural flavors, vegetable glycerin, gum arabic, soy lecithin and beeswax
Trident & Trident Fusion with Xylitol
Xylitol Content: .17 grams per piece
Ingredients: Sorbitol, Maltitol, Gum Base, Mannitol, Xylitol, Natural and Artificial Flavoring, Less than 2% of: Acacia, Acesulfame Potassium, BHT (to Maintain Freshness)Blue 1 Lake, Candelilla Wax, Glycerin, Soy Lecithin, Sucralose, Titanium Dioxide, Yellow 5 Lake
Trident Xtra Care
Xylitol Content: .14 grams per piece; also contains 9.4 mg Casein Phosphopeptide-Amorphous Calcium Phosphate
Ingredients: Sorbitol, Gum Base, Xylitol, Glycerin, Natural And Artificial Flavoring, Mannitol; Less Than 2% Of: Acesulfame Potassium, Aspartame, BHT (To Maintain Freshness), Blue 1 Lake, Calcium Casein Peptone-Calcium Phosphate (Lactose-Free Milk Derivative), Soy Lecithin, Titanium Dioxide (Color) And Yellow 5 Lake. Contains A Milk Derived Ingredient
Xylimax
Xylitol Content: .7 grams per piece
Ingredients: Xylitol (66% of weight), Gum Base, Calcium, Carbonate, Natural Flavors (Spearmint, Menthol), Gum Arabic, Glyserol, Lecithin (Rapeseed), Beeswax, Shellac
Xponent
Xylitol Content: .72 grams per piece
Ingredients: Xylitol, gum base, gum arabic, natural flavors, lecithin, glycerol, malic acid, glazing agent (beeswax)
Ice Breakers Ice Cubes Sugarfree
Xylitol Content: 1.1 grams per cube
Ingredients: Xylitol, Gum Base, Mannitol, Maltitol Syrup, Contains 2% or Less of: Natural and Artificial Flavor, Maltodextrin, Malic Acid, Medium Chain Triglycerides, Citric Acid, Soy Lecithin, Artificial Color (Red 40 Lake, Red 40, Blue 1), Aspartame, Modified Food Starch, Acesulfame Potassium, Gum Acacia, BHT (to Maintain Freshness), Neotame
Ricochet Gum
Xylitol Content: .72 grams per piece
Ingredients: Xylitol, gumbase, natural spearmint oil, gum arabic, lecithin, citric acid, powder of conch, spinach powder
B-Fresh Gum
Xylitol Content: .85 grams per piece
Ingredients: xylitol, gum base, natural spearmint flavor, vitamin B12, gum arabic, carnuba wax, calcium citrate, calcium gluconate
Zellies Xylitol Gum
Xylitol Content: 1 gram per piece
Ingredients: xylitol, Gum Base, Natural Flavors, Lecithin, Gum Arabic, Titanium Dioxide, Carnauba Wax
