Would you brush w/ straight Xlitol??

[tidalwalker]

Is xylitol too good to be true? a sugar that helps your teeth?! I found some at my health food store and i've been thinking of brushing my sons teeth with it. any opinions??

[kaPOW!]

I know of a few moms who do that for their kids. We stick with the xylitol gels, but I'm not opposed to straight xylitol.

[mammal_mama]

We actually just did that with an entire container of xylitol, and will get more as soon as we have the funds. I'm hoping it helps, but haven't used it long enough to know for sure.

[BellinghamCrunchie]

We do, mainly because it helps her accept the toothbrush better because she likes the taste.

[Mamma Mia]

Dd does that when we run out of xylitol toothpaste, and we do it with baking soda when we run out of toothpaste. I have no info on whether it's a good long term thing or not though!

[onelilguysmommy]

Im kind of skeptical, as well!

my mom bought some at whole foods a few weeks ago, though and says its really good. : ever thought to use it as toothpaste though!!

[tidalwalker]

cool. he doesn't seem to mind getting brushed when i use the xylitol. normally he hates the whole process but i HATE the dentist and don't want him to have to deal with one yet. he nurses all night so i want him going to bed with sparkly clean teeth! my intuition tells me that if all the food is off the teeth, properties of the milk will help protect them. if xylitol is really as good as it sounds then we'll add that to our bag of tricks too.

[soybeansmama]

We use straight xylitol on the brush, sometimes with novamin toothpaste hidden underneath. My son is very excited about brushing that way. We took him back to the dentist a couple days ago to have him check on the progression of the decay and he says that it has completely stopped in most parts. Good news! Xylitol has definately made a noticeable difference. Hard to know how much because we are doing a combination of things to heal his cavities. Certainly have seen no evidence of it being harmful...

[Mommymama]

I've been a bit weary of xylitol since most of it is derived from GMO corn and not from birch trees. Also xylitol is still a highly refined sweetener...

[fortunecookie]

Originally Posted by Mommymama

I've been a bit weary of xylitol since most of it is derived from GMO corn and not from birch trees. Also xylitol is still a highly refined sweetener...

I am currently looking into purchasing a few xylitol products. Can you link me to where you got the gmo info? That might be a deal breaker for me. No GMO!

[fortunecookie]

I just wanted to say this made me search around a little bit. I found a couple kinds that are not derived from corn or gmo products at Homestead Market online.

[mammal_mama]

Originally Posted by Mommymama

I've been a bit weary of xylitol since most of it is derived from GMO corn and not from birch trees. Also xylitol is still a highly refined sweetener...

What's the difference between xylitol derived from corn and that derived from birch trees?

[fortunecookie]

I'm not an exper,t but I'll take a guess that all of the corn derived xylitol are gmo products. Since most corn crops grown commercially in the states are gmo seed.

[mammal_mama]

Okay, now I'll really showcase my dumbness and ask what gmo stands for!

[fortunecookie]

GMO= genetically modified organisms

Don't feel dumb, I think tons of people aren't aware this is even happening. They splice wierd genes from animals and such with seeds. We have a house in Mendocino county and locally voted against allowing this seed to be grown in our county. There is an awesome book- Seeds of Deception that explains it all. Here is the blurb from amazon-

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Recent news headlines have focused on the disagreement between the U.S. and Europe over genetically modified foods: the U.S. exports them, but the European Union doesn't want to import them, believing their safety remains unproven. Are genetically modified foods safe? Longtime anti-GM foods campaigner Smith presents the "opposing" case. He offers cases where GM produced results that were at best unexpected (increased starch content in potatoes), at worst grotesque (pigs without genitals). He describes how one corporation reportedly tried to bribe Canadian government scientists into approving genetically engineered bovine growth hormones they deemed unsafe; how some scientists have reported their careers were threatened as a result of their refusal to approve certain GM products in the U.S.; and how "conflicts of interest, sloppy science, and industry influence" can distort the approval process. The cases Smith presents are scary and timely, but he explores only one side of the story. Readers looking for a balance consideration of genetically modified foods will want to look elsewhere.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

[mammal_mama]

Yikes!

[luv2bamommy2]

Don't be skeptical - it is for real!

Hi, I have brushed my son's teeth with straight Xylitol. And will probably do so in the future. 1 tsp [=4 grams] in a little water for children's and baby teeth.

Does Xylitol work? YES, YES, YES!!! I have been using 100% Xylitol products on my son's teeth for 5 months now - what benefits have I seen? Well he went from needing $3400 worth of dental work on his teeth to "Let's wait and see!" His next appointment is for July 2008.

All of the little, beginning cavities have disappeared - re-mineralized! He still has a big one in a back molar, but his dentist says it has stabilized, whatever that means. Trenton also has 3 broken teeth in front - my son does not know what walk means so when he falls he hurts himself big time - and at first the inside layers could be seen, but even these have re-mineralized! Plus his teeth are clean, I mean really clean, no plaque buildup anywhere.

My mom researched Xylitol thoroughly before we began using it. She says if anyone is seeking information about using it for dental situations, they NEED to log on to www.zellies.com [written by a general/pediatric dentist]; www.xlear.com [SPRY Dental Defense Program]; and www.epicdental.com [these folks even have health insurance companies that accept Xylitol as health benefits, unfortunately Blue Cross isn't one of them].

These sites have a lot of the research that has been going on for the last 20 or so years about the use of Xylitol in preventing dental cavities in children.

Hope this helps.