Dear Dr. Ellie:
I do not know if you have read the label recently, but Crest here in Chicago has sobitol as its major ingredient. I thought you might want to look into this.
Thank you. PB
P.S. I checked the label at several different stores just to be sure.
Dear PB,
Much as I dislike sorbitol and work to educate people against it sorbitol is inexpensive and is in many products. It appears that the harmful bacteria of dental disease learn how to process sorbitol quite quickly, grow and thicken.
I would be concerned if you were consuming sorbitol.
I would be concerned if you were not using xylitol but only using sorbitol.
Providing you are on a program to eradicate the harmful bacteria of dental disease with xylitol this amount of sorbitol in toothpaste should not be an issue.
Thanks for your message please let me know if you have any other questions.
Ellie Phillips, DDS
Categories: Uncategorized
Hi there,My daughter suffers from fructose malabsorption. Consequently she can not handle even minimal amounts of Sorbitol. She is 9. Any suggestions about what she should brush her teeth with since all toothpastes I have checked here in Canada have sorbitol.Thanks
In this situation I would make a solution of xylitol in water and use this solution in place of toothpaste. Dip the brush in this solution and use it to brush the teeth.Ellie http://www.zellies.com26 Corporate WoodsRochester, NY 14623(585) 272-1270
My daughter was sick for months and after much trial and error I can only attribute it to her using regular toothpaste.We have switched to Tom's of Maine with great success.http://www.tomsofmaine.com/products/product-detail.aspx?id=10&name=Childrens%20Anticavity%20Fluoride&s3=MzZ8MTA=
I am here to help people with dental problems select pastes and rinses that will help them improve their oral health. I would not suggest changing things that are working for you and your family. My advice is here for people who are searching for help.My ONLY recommendation is Crest Original paste because it works in harmony with all the products I recommend as a "system". I wonder what age your daughter is – toothpaste is really not a necessity for young kids. Ellie http://www.zellies.com26 Corporate WoodsRochester, NY 14623(585) 272-1270
Hi Dr. Ellie_My daughter is two and has recently developed a brown spot on one of her two front teeth. Her pediatrician said it could be a cavity. I'm diabetic and so our family doesn't consume much sugar or candy. Her toothpaste's main ingredient is sorbitol, but it also contains xylitol. Could the sorbitol be the cause of the cavity? Thanks!Caroline
Don't get hung up on the idea that you need toothpaste!Children under two are not advised to use toothpaste – and toothpaste is not necessary to clean teeth!I prefer to recommend that parents dissolve some granular xylitol in water and use this on a brush to clean teeth for the first two or three years of life. "Spiffies" is a company that makes a pure xylitol tooth wipe that is an excellent product for cleaning small children's teeth. Spry make a xylitol gel that many people have used – I don't have studies or reports about this – but I expect it is a good product also. Wipe or brush some fluoride on the outside of these teeth:Think about introducing some dilute fluoride to help heal potential cavities. Fluoride helps heal cavities by speeding up the way "nature" heals. Dilute fluoride will help put minerals back into these damaged teeth, so I suggest you brush or wipe some ACT bubblegum fluoride rinse onto these "brown spots" .Do this a couple of times a day – preferably before nap time when the ACT has a chance to dry on the tooth surface. Healing:The brown color may darker at first – and then over a couple of months it should heal underneath and gradually the brown should go away. Obviously I have not see or examined these teeth – so I cannot tell you for sure – but brown stains are commonly the first sign of a cavity and you must act fast to stop the damage getting worse. What Causes a cavity?I cannot tell you exactly what caused this cavity – but sugar is not the only cause of decay. Anything acidic ( especially in a sippy cup or bottle – even sugarless lemonade) can cause teeth to soften. Once the tooth is soft it is vulnerable to cavity forming bacteria. Cavity forming bacteria can be transferred by people your daughter interacts with. Often this infection is passed to the child by kissing – so it is and infection from the mouths of parents or grandparents that interact with her. You may want to get the entire family on xylitol – check the website for more information! http://www.CleanWhiteTeeth.com Ellie
Caroline:Is your drinking supply/milk fluoridated?Reason i ask is because i have written in my blog caleld "Diagnoes the world" about "Colorado Brown stain/ mottled teeth".Basically this is a condition resulting from flurosis and sediment getting into the exposed area of the teeth.Out of curiosity it would be interesting to hear what was the reason for the stain if you have already been to the dentist witth your daughterBest regardsTobias
what is the function of sorbitol
Just a stupid sweetener in this product – yes, I wish it were xylitol!
That seems like a contradiction to me, sweetener in a toothpaste? Could that be harmful to your teeth…
The problem with sorbitol occurs when people eat it regularly.Many people think that sorbitol is "sugarless" and consume it often thinking it is safe for teeth and lower in calories.Consumed regularly ( like 3 pieces of gum a day) sorbitol containing gum will GROW PLAQUE as you consume the third piece of gum.Second problem occurs when sorbitol is mixed with xylitol, since sorbitol can inactivate the healing benefits of xylitol.To consume sorbitol in sugarless gum is not recommended for the reasons above – but worse of all – just a tiny amount of sorbitol will cause horrible gastric problems).In toothpaste – xylitol would be an ideal sweetener, I agree.On the other hand, in toothpaste sorbitol will not cause any harm and you will NOT be eating it!There are no xylitol toothpastes that I can recommend in my system at this time.Crest really is the best toothpaste and the only one I can suggest – just ensure you select the Cavity Protection kind.Thanks for your comment,Ellie