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XYLITOL
The Sweetener that Prevents Decay
What Is Xylitol?
Xylitol is a white crystalline powder with a sweet taste. Though unlike sugar, Xylitol has been shown to have both preventative and therapeutic effects.
Xylitol Explained
Xylitol is a naturally occurring five-carbon sugar alcohol compound that can be found in many plants, vegetables, and fruits. Sugar alcohols are carbohydrates that resemble sugar, but without the harmful effects of sugar. Xylitol has the same sweetness as sugar but with 40% fewer calories and none of the negative tooth decay or insulin release effects of sugar.
Preventive and Therapeutic Effects of Xylitol
Dental decay is the most common chronic infectious disease of children ages 5-17. It is a largely preventable disease, but the large amount of sugar in our diet stimulates plaque growth and promotes tooth decay. Xylitol is a natural dental antidote for sugar. Xylitol also is safe for diabetics as it does not trigger an insulin reaction in the body.
â Xylitol helps prevent tooth decay by reducing plaque formation
â Blocks the acids that demineralize tooth enamel
â Inhibits the growth of the bacteria that causes cavities
â Reduces gingival inflammation
â Has a glycemic index of 7, making it safe for diabetics to use as a sugar alternative
â Has 40 % fewer calories than sugar
â The benefits of Xylitol can be passed from expectant mothers to their children
How do I add Xylitol into my diet?
Xylitol is a normal part of everyday human metabolism. Our bodies produce 5-10 grams per day while metabolizing carbohydrates. Unfortunately, since this occurs in the gut it does not provide the oral benefits. Xylitol has been approved in over 35 countries for use in foods, pharmaceutical and oral health products. To be most effective the use of Xylitol containing products should be spread out throughout the day. Xylitol can be found in gum (such as SPRY which is 100% Xylitol sweetened), mints, toothpaste, candy, and mouthwashes. Xylitol also comes in a powdered form that can be used in the place of sugar. Xylitol can be used in baking in equal amounts that the recipe calls for sugar. Though it can not be metabolized by yeast so should not be used in recipes that call for the dough to rise. Also it does not caramelize like sugar so can’t be used to make hard candies.
Look for Xylitol containing recipes in future blogs.
For more information on Xylitol go to www.xlear.com.
Thanks to Susan Clark, RDHEF and Xlear for allowing us to share their information.
This year for our office Christmas party, Drs. Chris & Matt arranged for us to go on a private tour of The Ballpark in Arlington, Home of the ALCS Champion Texas Rangers, followed by lunch at Olenjack’s Grille. The staff had shown some real support to the Rangers during the play-offs by wearing Ranger shirts on game days. We were so excited, we could hardly wait (some of us were even jumping up and down in anticipation). It was a beautiful December day. Our tour guide, Billie Ball was the best!! What a wealth of knowledge she has about the team. We got to go into the pressbox, one of the suites, the dugout, the batting cages, and then we went into the locker room.
Little did we kow what awaited us on the other side of the door…… We already were having the best party ever and then………
JOSH HAMILTON !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He was there signing a box of fan mail. He came over and shook all our hands. It was surreal.  How did we get so lucky? He is genuinely a very nice, down to earth guy. He took pictures with us and spent about 15 minutes just talking to us. He was trying to finish up with all of his fan mail and get it out by Christmas. This was the best party ever!!!!
Dr. Chris and Dr. Matt want your children to enjoy this Halloween, while keeping themselves and their teeth safe. A great checkup at their next dental visit will be the best treat you could ever give them.
While any type of sugary snack translates to trouble for teeth, some treats are worse than others. Generally, it’s not difficult to distinguish the candy that’s bad for your teeth from the types that are really bad for your teeth. The key is understanding why it’s all bad to begin with. Sugar in candy feeds the bacteria that create the acid responsible for tooth decay. Besides how often you snack, the length of time food is in your mouth plays a role in tooth decay. Unless it is a sugar-free product, candies that stay in the mouth for a long period of time subject teeth to prolonged acid attack, increasing the risk for tooth decay
So how do you make smart choices when it comes to candy? What candy should you choose? Here are some options with the best choices listed first.
Xylitol Candy - Xylitol is a naturally occurring sweetener that has been shown to stunt the growth of cavity-causing bacteria. Xylitol is just as sweet as sugar and is even safe for diabetics to use. Xylitol is used in many gums and mints. It can be found in gum such as icebreakers, some forms of trident and some Mentos. Just be sure to keep candy with Xylitol away from your dogs, it is not safe for them!
Chocolate - Plain chocolate quickly melts in your mouth, so its sugars are more easily rinsed away by saliva.
Caramel Apples - Although sticky, sugary caramel is a definite threat to teeth, eating the rest of the apple will stimulate saliva production, and provide fiber and energy to ward off further cravings.
Powdered Candy - Even though candies like Pixy Stix are essentially pure sugar, chewing isn’t required. By pouring the candy directly on the tongue, the sweet stuff has less contact with the deep pits and grooves of teeth than say, a chewy caramel.
Chewy Candy - The stickier candies, like taffy and gummy bears, take longer to get washed away by saliva, increasing the risk for tooth decay
Lollipops and hard candies - Unless it is a sugar-free product, candies that stay in the mouth for a long period of time subject teeth to prolonged acid attack, increasing the risk for tooth decay
The American Dental Association, America’s premier source of oral health information, recommends the following tips to help reduce tooth-decay risk and still enjoy Halloween.
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♦ Eat treats with meals. Saliva production increases during meals washing out food particles and helping to¬†neutralize cavity causing plaque acid.
♦ Consider chewing ADA Accepted sugarless gum after meals. Certain sugarless gums have earned the ADA Seal¬†of Acceptance for scientifically proving that chewing the gum for 20 minutes after meals helped prevent tooth decay.
♦ Drink fluoridated water. Optimally fluoridated water has been shown to reduce cavities from 20 to 40 percent.
♦ Follow the 1-2-3s of good daily oral hygiene: Floss once a day, brush twice a day and eat three balanced meals¬†a day.
♦♦ Visit your dentist for regular checkups. ♦♦
If you folow the recommendations above, we hope your children’s Halloween is a treat and not a trick!!
If you use a bisphosphonate medication‚Äîto prevent or treat osteoporosis (a thinning of the bones) or as part of cancer treatment therapy‚ you should advise your dentist. In fact, any time your health history or medications change, you should make sure the dental office has the most recent information in your patient file. Here’s why:
Some bisphosphonate medications (such as Fosamax, Actonel, Boniva) are taken orally (swallowed) to help prevent or treat osteoporosis and Paget’s disease of the bone. Others, such as Aredia, Bonefos, Didronel or Zometa, are administered intravenously (injected into a vein) as part of cancer therapy to reduce bone pain and hypercalcemia of malignancy (abnormally high calcium levels in the blood), associated with metastatic breast cancer, prostate cancer and multiple myeloma.
In rare instances, some individuals receiving intravenous bisphosphonates for cancer treatment have developed osteonecrosis (pronounced OSS-tee-oh-ne-KRO-sis) of the jaw, a rare but serious condition that involves severe loss, or destruction, of the jawbone.
Symptoms include, but are not limited to:
If you receive intravenous bisphosphonates (or received them in the past year) and experience any of these or other dental symptoms, tell your oncologist and your dentist immediately.
More rarely, osteonecrosis of the jawbone has occurred in patients taking oral bisphosphonates.
Most cases of osteonecrosis of the jaw associated with bisphosphonates have been diagnosed after dental procedures such as tooth extraction; however the condition can also occur spontaneously. Also, invasive dental procedures, such as extractions or other surgery that affects the bone can worsen this condition. Patients currently receiving intravenous bisphosphonates should avoid invasive dental procedures if possible. The risk of osteonecrosis of the jaw in patients using oral bisphosphonates following dental surgery appears to be low.
Am I at Risk?
Because osteonecrosis of the jaw is rare, researchers can not yet predict who, among users, will develop it. To diagnose osteonecrosis of the jaw, doctors may use x-rays or test for infection (taking microbial cultures). Treatments for osteonecrosis of the jaw may include antibiotics, oral rinses and removable mouth appliances. Minor dental work may be necessary to remove injured tissue and reduce sharp edges of damaged bone. Surgery is typically avoided because it may make the condition worse. The consensus is that good oral hygiene along with regular dental care is the best way to lower your risk of developing osteonecrosis.
Cancer Treatment and Oral Health
Dental care is an important element of overall cancer treatment. As soon as possible after cancer diagnosis, the patient’s treatment team should involve the dentist. Individuals who will undergo cancer treatment should:
Xylitol- What is it and how can it benefit you?
Xylitol is a five-carbon sugar alcohol derived primarily from forest and agricultural materials. It can be found in birch and other hardwood trees and fruits such as berries, plums as well as in mushrooms, corn and oats. Xylitol is also produced in the human liver, which explains why it’s safe for human consumption. Xylitol is an organic compound that is safe for children, diabetics, and expectant mothers.
In 1974 the first sugar-free dental product of its kind was produced: xylitol chewing gum. Xylitol is available today in a range of products such as: gum, mints, nasal sprays, mouthwash and as a crystalline sugar substitute.
Even though there has been a growth in community water fluoridation, we are not seeing a decrease in dental decay. This trend can be attributed to the fact that over the years, there has been a massive increase in the consumption of sugar in drinks such as juices, soda, and energy drinks. There has also been an increase in the size of drink bottles, as well as a tremendous growth in the consumption of bottled water.
In the oral cavity, table sugar reduces, creating an acidic, caries promoting pH. Xylitol does not reduce in the mouthlike table sugar; therefore it does not create that acid. Xylitol has also been shown to inhibit the growth of S. mutans . S. mutans is a cavity causing bacteria that is found in plaque and saliva. Consuming xylitol stops the bacteria from growing and significantly reduces tha risk of cavity formation.
Many people are pleasantly surprised to hear that there is a natural sugar that not only doesn’t cause cavities, it actually helps prevent them. The recommended daily dose it between 6-10 grams of xylitol (or 3-5 servings) per day. Your xylitol consumption needs to be spread out throughout the day, with gum chewing lasting for at least 5 minutes.
Xylitol Facts:
Xylitol is a naturally occurring organic sweetener that can prevent decay.
Xylitol does not caramelize when heated so it cannot be substituted for sugar in baking, but may be used in candy, gum, and other non-baked desserts.
Xylitol can be used on oatmeal, over fruit, or anything else you may put sugar on.
It is for diabetics because it does not raise blood sugar levels to a large extent.
Xylitol is completely safe for all people, even expectant moms.
Studies have shown that the children of moms who chewed xylitol gum during pregnancy have fewer S.Mutans for up to 2 years.
Xylitol can be deadly to dogs. It doesn’t take much and the results are rapid.
Oral Cancer and You ‚ Introducing Trimira‚ Identafi 3000
Drs. Chris and Matt pride themselves on offering state-of-the-art technology for precision diagnostics and treatment. As a service to our patients we are now incorporating the Identafi 3000 in our oral cancer screening on an annual basis.
Everyone knows about cancer, but no one is paying attention to the cancer that‚ more deadly than cervical, breast, or prostate cancers (based on five year mortality rates).
Oral cancer now kills one person every hour of every day. It showed an 11 percent increase in 2007 and the incidence is still increasing.
More that 35,000 Americans will be newly diagnosed with oral cancer this year‚ and 40 percent of those victims will be dead in five years.
Trimira‚ new Identafi 3000 is unlike anything in the dental/doctor detection tool kit because it efficiently identifies biochemical and morphological changes in the cells of the mouth, throat, tongue, and tonsils. Identafi helps to identify oral cancer in its early detection stage. Through the use of different spectrums of light, the dentist/dental hygienist is able to spot areas of pre-cancerous cells. Using Identafi in ‚White Light‚ mode, a dentist/dental hygienist examines the entire oral cavity. This includes the upper and lower portions of the mouth, inner contour of the teeth, the floor of the mouth, the tongue, hard and soft palate, and the pharynx.
The instrument is then switched to the ‚ Violet Fluorescence Light‚ to identify any areas of abnormal tissue growth, which may be benign or cancerous. Finally, the instrument is switched to ‚ Amber Reflectance Light‚ to examine the blood vessels around the lesions. Lesions with abnormal growth are more likely to be malignant. These lesions may require additional examination and testing.
Dr. Chris and Dr. Matt feel that the way to stop oral cancer in its tracks is through early detection. We are very happy to be able to now offer our patients this early detection technology.
Early detection of oral cancer translates into cure rates of greater than 80%,, which is one reason the American Cancer Society and the American Dental Association both recommend‚ opportunistic screening‚ for oral cancer.
Oral cancer is so dangerous because so few patients notice the symptoms in the early stages. It can progress without causing pain or obvious signs. As a result, oral cancer often goes undetected until it has metastasized.
