Facts about Xylitol
Xylitol, in ordinary term, is a sugar substitute that is used as sweetener. It has various benefits that are not found in sugar, according to studies. It can be used as food sweetener in the diet for people with diabetes and is also believed to prevent tooth decays.
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.
Xylitol can prevent tooth decay by hampering the occurrence of an acid attack. Sugar, that is contained in the food that we eat, helps multiply certain bacteria on the teeth. The metabolic process produces the acids that can penetrate the surface of our teeth.
"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 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 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.
The teeth is one of the most important parts of the body. We need them to better crush our food in aid of proper digestion. You can also never take lightly any case of toothache. You feel cursed if you have one and immediate tooth extraction is often not advisable. So, most dentists would first provide medication to stop the toothache prior to extraction.
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. - 17274
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.
Xylitol can prevent tooth decay by hampering the occurrence of an acid attack. Sugar, that is contained in the food that we eat, helps multiply certain bacteria on the teeth. The metabolic process produces the acids that can penetrate the surface of our teeth.
"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 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 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.
The teeth is one of the most important parts of the body. We need them to better crush our food in aid of proper digestion. You can also never take lightly any case of toothache. You feel cursed if you have one and immediate tooth extraction is often not advisable. So, most dentists would first provide medication to stop the toothache prior to extraction.
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. - 17274
posted by X - Men at
1:57 AM
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