Cavities- sugar vs starches, and xylitol questions

[DevaMajka]

I x-posted some of this in the gd forum, because it is hard to get my ds's teeth brushed...
(Ds is 19 mo and has 2 cavities that are getting worse.)

I'm interested in the sugar thing. I'm reading some conflicting stuff on it though. Some sites seem to say that starches are just as bad as sugars for teeth. Other sites say that sugars are much worse, and that starches take a long time to turn into sugars that will affect teeth- so you'd have to hold a pretzel in your mouth for minutes for the sugars to ferment.

So, what are your opinions on sugars vs starches in re to tooth decay? My original thinking was that if starches were just as bad as sugar, then cutting out sugar wouldn't really do much good, because he'd still be eating starches. But after a post be Gitti, I'm thinking that is very wrong.

I'm wondering about the reasoning for the sugar affecting your teeth, even if it doesn't touch them (Gitti posted something to that effect). My thinking (not knowing much about the whole thing) is that sugar is somewhat of an anti-nutrient. And that saliva needs to contain certain nutrients and minerals in order to remineralize teeth.
Or that sugars are carried in the saliva?
I just found this: "Sugar interferes with absorption of calcium and magnesium" http://www.healingcancernaturally.co...cts-risks.html
and the wap site says that magnesium is important for teeth. maybe that's part of it?

Also, I'm wondering if xylitol is safer than fluoride? I've read about it being used to control cavities in kids. I did a dogpile.com search, and only came up with good stuff on it. Including "Xylitol. This is a natural, non-sugar sweetener (found in raspberries and plums) that has been proven to prevent ear infections, sinus infections, and tooth decay. " http://www.drgreene.com/21_478.html
(hmmm...I may xpost on mutrition about it...)

ds likes to suck toothpaste off the brush (we give nonfluoridated toothpaste for him to use, and when we brush them, we use fluoride- but now I'm doubting that). Is xylitol safe for that?

[Hheffley7637]

The bacteria on the teeth eat the sugar then produce acid, that is how decay forms, starchy foods can be sticky and get stuck in grooves in the teeth or inbetween the teeth- that can then break down into sugar and the bacteria can eat it, causing decay through the acid. raisins can also get stuck, juices can be bad. Actually healthy foods can cause decay if left in the mouth long enough- the best advice is to just brush after meals and you don't have to worry about the direct effect of food sitting on teeth. Oh many studies have shown xylitol to be great! The bacteria eat the xylitol and then die- that's how it works. One study showed that mom's that chewed xylitol gum 4x/day- their kids had a 75% reduction in decay over moms that did not use xylitol gum (we pass bacteria on to our kids). So take care of your teeth too! Decay is transmissable, so is gum disease!

[Hheffley7637]

I haven't read any long term studies done on the safety of xylitol- all I know is that it is natural like you said. Have you tried a motorized toothbrush on Ds? My friend uses it on her son and has from the get go and he loves it. It is really hard to brush kids teeth! Try the softest toothbrush head you can find and if Ds doesn't like toothpaste, brush with water- some kids are senstive to some of the flavors of toothpaste.

[DevaMajka]

Hmmm- thanks for the info on MOMS using xylitol. Good to know!! I just ordered some Spry stuff- infant gel, mints, etc. So I'll make sure *I* use it too lol
Ds loves the toothpaste! He'll brush his teeth, happily- and ask for more toothpaste every few strokes or so. The problem comes when anyone else tries to brush.
I'll try to find a super soft bristled brush. That's one thing I haven't tried yet. We do have an extra soft head for our electric toothbrush. But same thing- he'll use it, but doesn't want us to use it on him.
I have started telling him he needs to drink water after eating. I still try to get them brushed, but I figure water's better than nothing. lol

Thanks for the info and welcome

[Think of Winter]

Becky,
Could you tell me where to get the xylitol stuff? We've just found out that ds has tooth decay. Did you also mention something about special toothpaste and/or dental wipes? We corresponded on the GD board about not limiting foods, so I think we're in the same boat as far as options in cutting out starches and sweets.
Thanks!

[DevaMajka]

I got the tooth gel here: http://www.xlear.com/shop.aspx?info=...od=SPRY%20TGEL
I got it already- they're quick! It tastes like sugar. lol. I've been putting a tad of ds's other (non fluoride) toothpaste on it, because he likes the flavor. It has no glycerine, too. So that's good.
We got the candies and mints too. They taste pretty good. But they're hard- not good for ds

I also got a tub of plain xylitol at the hfs, and put a tiny bit in some water, to drink after he eats. Water is good anyways after eating, so I figured it couldn't hurt.

We actually are trying to cut down sugar in our house. I made the cookies that cathe posted in the nutrition forum, with no sugars (I do put chocolate chips in them- we're not THAT far yet lol). And we're cutting out juice. I think I did it so slowly that ds didn't even notice. He hasn't seemed to miss any of it.
I won't say no to him if its in the house and he asks for it, but I'm going to try to have more fruit (which he loves) and less sugar. And I have tried offering something better, and sometimes he's happy with that.
When we're out its a different story- I'm not going to say no to candy if he sees it. I do tell him that we'll have to brush afterwards. Not that it makes it much easier! lol

Good luck!!!

[Think of Winter]

Thanks, Becky!

[nonconformnmom]

I have been using xylitol for the past several months. I buy it in the health food store in a bag like sugar. Unfortunately, it doesn't do well in hot liquids, so I can't use it in my morning coffee (I use Stevia with my coffee instead). I think it would be easy to make a post-brush rinse with the xylitol granules and water and just have the kids rinse their mouth out with that after every brushing. You can also just use the xylitol in baking as a substitute for sugar.

The easiest way I know to use xylitol for prevention of tooth decay (my own, not my kids) is to chew the gum. You can buy xylitol gum at the health food store or just buy Trident at the grocery store (make sure the package states that it has xylitol in it). The research I did on xylitol stated that in order to be most effective in preventing cavities, one must use it throughout the day, at least 3-4 times. The recommendation was to chew xylitol gum for 5 minutes after each meal, so that's what I've been doing (I HATE chewing gum, by the way, so I'm counting every one of those 5 minutes!).