Dear Dr. Ellie
One thing that is not too clear is after 6+ months of 6g of xylitol usage, do you still need to take mints or gum after every meal or is your saliva able to handle the acid? Also, the mints seem to have more xylitol than the gum, so the mints would be the easier, and most effective xylitol method? Does your company have more flavors in the works? I’d love to see more mint flavors! Maybe a watermelon!
Thanks
VC
Hi VC,
Thanks for your message.
After 6 months of consuming 6g of xylitol a day, the research shows that 97% of unhealthy plaque bacteria will have gone from your mouth, teeth, sinus and ears etc. The mints and gum work the same it is the amount of xylitol total that you consume each day that is important. (Each mint is 0.5 grams and a piece of Zellies gum is 0.7 grams). We are working on making a piece of gum with One Gram in each piece (to make the math easier!). We understand the need for new flavors and have this one gram coming in a stronger mint and a delicious cinnamon. Have you tried the grapefruit gum that we have? I have taken a note about the idea for watermelon!
Will the harmful plaque bacteria return? The answer to this is different for each individual. It depends on individual risk factors. Do you consume a lot of acidic drinks? Do you have a lot of stress? Do you have dry mouth for some reason? You have to understand your own personal “risk factors” for dental disease. It appears impossible to “sterilize” a human mouth but you can depress bad bacteria until they are almost gone. Recurrence is dependent on the local environment in your mouth does this environment encourage them to return or stay away?
A healthy young child may be protected if their diet is good and healthy.
A teen drinking sports drinks and not cleaning their teeth too well will need extra help or harmful plaque bacteria will return. A pregnant women (when hormonal change is dramatic) needs to watch her mouth acidity very carefully and xylitol will help her to do this. A stressed mom may need extra help from diet and from xylitol to alkalize her body and her mouth.
An older adult with dry mouth will need help and xylitol is the perfect way to alkalize the mouth, protect teeth and help prevent harmful bacteria from returning.
Hope this answers your question!
Thanks so much and please keep in touch,
Ellie
Ellie Phillips DDS
Categories: Xylitol