The Healthy Reason To Use a Toothpaste With Xylitol

Since a toothpaste is something we use twice a day, 365 days a year, it should go without saying that this is a really important product that protects our oral health. However, conventional toothpastes, besides their minty and other herbal ingredients, can contain some toxins that are certainly not good for our health, especially if we have contact with them the whole year round.

Fluoride, the most widely used ingredient regarding toothpastes, can suppress our immune system, discolor our teeth and can cause gastrointestinal issues. Also, a study from Environmental Health Perspectives has showed that ingesting high levels of fluoride may prevent propet brain development in children. These studies however were made in China where the level of fluoride use is very high as a result from industrial contamination, but this doesn’t mean that ingesting it only when brushing your teeth or drinking water won’t be harmful in the long run. Although it’s used in really small amounts in toothpastes, we’re still putting it into our mouths 365 days a year, which makes it a threat for our overall health.

So what should we brush our teeth with if fluoride is actually a toxic ingredient? The answer is xylitol. Xylitol is a naturally occurring compound and a natural sweetener that can actually prevent cavities. This occurs because bad bacteria cannot use xylitol as food and without food bacteria dies. The reason why bad bacteria cannot ferment xylitol is because of its unique structure: it contains only 5 carbons in the structure, while most carbohydrates have 6 carbon units. That’s why during the last few years the toothpaste with xylitol has become extremely popular.

There is clear evidence that using xylitol provides us with a lot of dental health benefits and the most important of all is its positive effect on preventing cavities. The toothpaste with xylitol is especially good because it prevents the problem before it even happens – before the teeth get attacked by germs.

Toothpastes that contain xylitol are not harmful for children as well. Even though ingestion of xylitol might occur while brushing, there won’t be any bad consequences. What’s more, now you know the reason why most chewing gums are sugar free and list xylitol as one of the main ingredients. The regular use of chewing gums that contain xylitol has been shown to improve the oral health, while in pregnant women it has been shown to protect the babies of possible tooth decay in the future.