Desperate for xylitol advice!

[carmen358]

Does anyone know if the Xyliwhite toothpaste is ok for an 18 month old? She doesn't know how to spit yet. I can't find any of the infant gel in canada and this is the best I can find (and we have a postal strike on right now so I can't order it and expect it any time soon).

Also, I just found the xylitol granules at a local health food store but I'm not sure how much or how to give it to DD. Any suggestions on how much and how? Should I do both the paste and the powder if I can?

We are dealing with some pretty bad decay on several teeth so I'm pretty desperate:( We're also doing MI Paste but we think she may be reacting to the dairy so we're holding off on using it anymore.

[midnightwriter]

HUGS re decay...

I'm not sure about the whitening ingredient. You can probably call the company and ask. The one that we have (different brand) says that it is safe to swallow. I'm in Canada as well. Will the store use alternative delivery service? FWIW, I saw the gel in our local healthstore, and I also stumbled on some on-line stores that said they were willing to ship via other services while the strike is on.

We use xylitol granules with my 3yo. The therapeutic doses are between 6 and 10g (not effective lower than 6, and no increased benefit if more than 10). I give her a quarter of teaspoon 3-5 times a day, but I'm actually haven't measured more precisely. I know that 6 gum pieces is about 6g (from the zellies.com). She asks for it, and I just give her a little. The older kids rinse and spit out, but she swallows, which I think is fine.

If you are not sure about the toothpaste, I'd skip it, and brush with powder and rinse with it as well.

[crunchy_mommy]

I don't know about the toothpaste, we don't use toothpaste... but when I was researching xylitol it seemed safe except for potentially causing diarrhea in larger doses -- so that's something to watch for and perhaps start with small amounts if your DD seems prone to diarrhea in general?

With the granules, you can dissolve them in water & then dip her toothbrush in it & brush...

[carmen358]

Thanks! Maybe I will skip the toothpaste for now. I have checked in several stores and I haven't been able to find the gel yet....

So, 6g 3 times a day? Or 6g spread over the day in 3 doses?

DD is actually more prone to constipation but I'll watch out for the opposite effect, thanks for the tip!

[carmen358]

I just picked up the granules this afternoon. It says on the bag that 1/4 tsp is approx. 750mg. So, that would mean 2 tsp would be 6g. Is my math correct? That seems like a lot!!

Is it ok to just dissolve it in water and let her drink it?

[midnightwriter]

6g per day, total, spread throughout the day (after meals). Two teaspoons sounds about right to me (in terms of this is what my kids take.). Personally I'd skip dissolving in water. I think xylitol would have more contact with the teeth / mouth if you gave her some and maybe played a game re how long she can chew it, or how long she can keep it in her mouth. Or if you were to do it, in front of her, she is likely to ask for it and imitate you.

I just got some granules packed in individual paper packets, 4g in each, so we can have it on the go as well, rather than needing to give them gum. So your math seems to be right about the dosage.

[carmen358]

Originally Posted by midnightwriter 

6g per day, total, spread throughout the day (after meals). Two teaspoons sounds about right to me (in terms of this is what my kids take.). Personally I'd skip dissolving in water. I think xylitol would have more contact with the teeth / mouth if you gave her some and maybe played a game re how long she can chew it, or how long she can keep it in her mouth. Or if you were to do it, in front of her, she is likely to ask for it and imitate you.

I just got some granules packed in individual paper packets, 4g in each, so we can have it on the go as well, rather than needing to give them gum. So your math seems to be right about the dosage.

Thanks very much for your help. I'm getting more and more anxious over her teeth - we have a follow up appt. with our dentist in 3 months and I'm hoping all we're doing helps stop the decay.

I think she would take it fine just as granules so I'll try that...it does make sense that it would have more contact that way. Great advice :)

[carmen358]

Oh! One more question if you don't mind. How long should I give it to her?? Forever? A year? A month?

[midnightwriter]

I decided that for us, it is forever! Considering that it isn't bitter, toxic, or otherwise hard to administer,  it is going to be a part of our dental care, period. I AM very curious how long it takes to see any results. For us it was about 8 weeks, but we also did some fluoride, so it is hard to say. I have a friend who did flouride only, and she said she started seeing improvement in 12-16 weeks. So for us it was much sooner, and I want to believe it was because of xylitol. The fluoride, on the other hand, I'm going to phase out after a few more dental check-ups. We've been through so much, with DD especially, that I'm too scared to drop it right now.  

I hope it works out for you!  And please update!

Oh! There's a study that toddlers of mothers who used xylitol had 70% less cavities than those whose mothers didn't use it! (Something about saliva transfer?) So start rinsing your mouth as well!

 

Originally Posted by carmen358 

Oh! One more question if you don't mind. How long should I give it to her?? Forever? A year? A month?

[carmen358]

Thanks!

We have been brushing with the xylitol powder/granules once a day and I just give her some on a spoon dry or rub it on her teeth gums a couple of times a day as well. We are going to try the MI Paste again and see if she does ok with the dairy. We have an appointment back with the dentist in September so hopefully we'll have some results by then. So far it seems like it's not getting any worse in terms of more teeth having decay so I'm crossing my fingers. This is so hard, I hate it :(

And I have to say that it feels REALLY odd to be putting 'sugar' on her teeth!

[mbravebird]

Just wanted to post that if you put the xylitol in green tea instead of water, then you will be giving her a natural flouride, as well. (It's the synthetic flouride that you hear all the horror stories about, not the natural kind.) Green tea is very high in flouride, and it has been shown in multiple studies to inhibit tooth decay, not only because of the flouride but because of all the other good ingredients, as well. When we do a xylitol rinse, we do it in green tea. The kids both like the taste.