Dear Dr. Ellie:
I would like to know what is granular and is it more effective? And, where do you buy it? Thanks for answering my request.
-M
Hi M,
The key to protecting an acidic mouth is to keep “nibbling” a little xylitol all day long.
It does not matter how you have it mints, gum, granular, dissolved in water or off a spoon.
The important thing is that you need to have AT LEAST 6 grams a day – less than this will not protect you enough. If you only eat mints, this would mean you must eat AT LEAST 13 mints a day every day and that is a lot of mints!
I suggest putting a teaspoon of granular xylitol into a water bottle (4 grams of xylitol ) . Shake the bottle to dissolve the xylitol in the water and sip this during the day or night when your mouth is dry. In addition you can have some mints after meals or snacks so maybe 6 mints a day ( 3 additional grams) This will ensure you have AT LEAST 6 grams a day and see the benefits 🙂
Granular xylitol should be easy to find in any health food store. It is about $8 per pound.
If you buy a bag of the granules you will spoon out a teaspoon each day. If you buy individual packets ( they are like sugar packets) each packet is 4 grams and this makes your calculation easy!
I think if you step up the amount of daily xylitol you are having the results will amaze you!
Good luck,
Ellie
26 Corporate Woods
Rochester, NY 14623
Categories: Uncategorized
I recently began using xylitol granules. Acting on the premise that microbes could not metabolize xylitol, my method was to prepare a small jar of xylitol dissolved in water and sip from it ad lib during both day and night. When the solution ran low I added some xylitol and topped it off with water.A few days in, I noticed pink stains on the inside of the lid, so I washed the lid carefully and went on. A day or so after that I noticed a buildup of black gunk around the inside of the neck of the jar.I conclude that at least *some* kinds of microbes can metabolize xylitol and now carefully wash the jar and lid at least once a day.
Thanks for your good question.In fact xylitol is very interesting in the way that it works on plaque bacteria. Xylitol is not a destructive "antiseptic" but a natural pro-biotic, allowing "xylitol – resistant" bacteria to thrive and "carbohydrate- guzzlers" (that form thick, destructive plaque) to disappear. The result is that your teeth will have healthy, non-destructive bacteria on them – ones that protect and "seal" and protect teeth from the hazards of dental infection. Harmful Strep mutans bacteria normally absorb carbohydrate molecules for energy – to grow and multiply, forming sticky layers on your teeth – known as plaque.When you have xylitol in your mouth, the smaller five-carbon molecule of xylitol is easily absorbed into the outer Strep mutans cell. Carbohydrate molecules pass quickly into the center of the bacteria to provide energy, but the bacteria transportation system cannot process xylitol.This is a problem to Strep.mutans bacteria. Now they then use up their energy in an attempt to remove xylitol from their system. In the microbiology world this is called a "futile cycle". The energy of the cell is going nowhere. This is great for our teeth, since plaque bacteria cannot grow and thicken or produce acids to destroy our tooth enamel. I do not recommend storing any sugary liquids for long periods of time in metal-capped jars.I would suggest making up a fresh daily drink with one teaspoon of xylitol – enjoy something fresh and healthy each day! Happy New Year!Ellie http://www.zellies.com26 Corporate WoodsRochester, NY 14623(585) 272-1270