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.