Xylitol and Dental Health
Over 400 strains of bacteria inhabit the human mouth. These bacteria are the cause of most dental problems. Sugar is one of the major energy sources for these bacterias and it helps them proliferate. In addition to the above sugar causes tooth decay by creating a highly acidic enviroment in the oral cavity that weakens enamel and makes it vulnerable to attack by bacteria, leading to tooth decay.
So how does xylitol enters the picture? How can xylitol help us prevent tooth decay or at least slow it down? Xylitol, although it looks and tastes the same as sugar, has exactly the oposite effects on oral health.
First of all xylitol is not metabolized by the mouth bacteria and as a result no acids are produced in the mouth that can cause tooth decay. So, xylitol helps keep an alkaline enviroment in the oral cavity that is inhospitable for the mouth bacteria. So while sugar creates a hospitable enviroment in the oral cavity for bacterias that are the cause of tooth decay, xylitol creates a rather inhospitable enviroment for them.
