Facts about Xylitol
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.
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.
In the late 1900s, xylitol was discovered by German and French chemists. Raspberries and strawberries, other vegetables and even some mushrooms are examples of sources of xylitol.
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 can stop this acid attack because the bacteria that cause tooth decay cannot complete their metabolism process which brings their growth to a halt. Leading bacteria that cause tooth decay are lactobacilli and streptococci. It is said that with xylitol intake instead of sugar, the growth of these bacteria can fall to as much as 90%. Because they cannot produce acid, the enamel stays safe from attacks and cavity cannot be produced.
Our saliva protects our mouth from bacteria. It prevents bacteria from producing acid that can destroy our teeth by maintaining the desired pH level. However, our saliva can only provide limited protection. If you consume more than the necessary sugar intake per day, the saliva's protective mechanism becomes 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.
One of the most important part of the body is the teeth. We need them to crush our food for better digestion. Toothache is definitely not something that we can take lightly. It's like a curse if you suffer from toothache. It is also not advisable to immediately extract the tooth that is causing the pain. Dentists would often give medication first to stop the ache before extracting the tooth.
Another good thing about having healthy teeth is that you always have a ready smile for everyone. You'll have more confidence when you talk with anyone. Hopefully, more manufacturers would find ways to use xylitol instead of sugar in our daily food so that we can always have healthy teeth. - 17273
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.
In the late 1900s, xylitol was discovered by German and French chemists. Raspberries and strawberries, other vegetables and even some mushrooms are examples of sources of xylitol.
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 can stop this acid attack because the bacteria that cause tooth decay cannot complete their metabolism process which brings their growth to a halt. Leading bacteria that cause tooth decay are lactobacilli and streptococci. It is said that with xylitol intake instead of sugar, the growth of these bacteria can fall to as much as 90%. Because they cannot produce acid, the enamel stays safe from attacks and cavity cannot be produced.
Our saliva protects our mouth from bacteria. It prevents bacteria from producing acid that can destroy our teeth by maintaining the desired pH level. However, our saliva can only provide limited protection. If you consume more than the necessary sugar intake per day, the saliva's protective mechanism becomes 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.
One of the most important part of the body is the teeth. We need them to crush our food for better digestion. Toothache is definitely not something that we can take lightly. It's like a curse if you suffer from toothache. It is also not advisable to immediately extract the tooth that is causing the pain. Dentists would often give medication first to stop the ache before extracting the tooth.
Another good thing about having healthy teeth is that you always have a ready smile for everyone. You'll have more confidence when you talk with anyone. Hopefully, more manufacturers would find ways to use xylitol instead of sugar in our daily food so that we can always have healthy teeth. - 17273
posted by X - Men at
8:35 AM
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