Read this first.  Here is the link to the main Healthy Teeth Page!

After you have looked at the above page check the rest of these posts out.  Misc interesting stuff I have learned.  I haven’t updated these pages in several years and have learned a lot since then.  Someday that will be here but this is interesting stuff too!

Ph in your mouth and Xylitol from www.carifree.com

The CariFree system is a system I have researched but not used. I learned a lot from their information. Basically what I understood from them is if your mouth is alkaline the caries bacteria cannot live in your mouth. I have chosen not to use their system because I am not comfortable with putting fluoride in my mouth every day. They report excellent results. I have talked to several dentists that have had very good results with this product.

This info inspired me to start experimenting with the Ph of my mouth. I have discovered that Weleda toothpaste (Calendula flavor) alkalinizes my mouth and so does Spry gum. I tried the Spry gum because of the findings below about Xylitol which it is sweetened with. I am looking for other ways – foods or something else to create an alkaline environment in my mouth. I would love to hear your ideas too!!

The last thing in this Ph topic that I found interesting is the alkalinity of the water we drink. I have tested Distilled, Reverse Osmosis and all of the water I can find for the Ph levels. If it has been adequately purified it is acidic, most of it is quite acidic. The alkaline or neutral water I can find is alkalized water, natural spring water or tap water. I think our tap water is alkaline because of the lime added to it?  We don’t drink it.  We are currently drinking spring water (since about 2009 or 10) and running it through a Berkey Filter just to make sure it is extra pure.

Here is some info from the CariFree website, www.carifree.com:

Why is pH so important?

pH is a measure of acidity. The lower the pH, the more acidic something is, and the higher the pH, the more alkaline something is. The pH scale goes from 1-14, 1 being the most acidic, 14 being the most alkaline, and 7 being neutral (like most water).

For years we have focused on the role of sugar in causing cavities. While we know that sugar feeds the bacteria that produce acids, which in turn causes cavities, it is a prolonged acidic oral pH that is responsible for promoting these cavity-causing bacteria, and an acidic pH that is responsible for the demineralization of the enamel required for cavities to occur.

It breaks down like this. . .

Prolonged low pH in the mouth =

overgrowth of cavity-causing bacteria =

death of healthy bacteria =

caries infection =

CAVITIES

If you want to stop the end result in this chain, you have to intercept the lowering of the pH, which you can do either by avoiding acidic and sugary food/drink and/or by using alkaline and neutralizing dental products.

Conversely, if we can keep the pH of the mouth neutral between meals, we can maintain health. If the caries infection already exists, we can use alkaline pH products to promote the re-growth of healthy bacteria.

Expert Advice

• Limit not only sugary/carbohydrate containing items in your diet, but also even non-sugar containing acidic beverages (i.e. diet soda, coffee, tea, sparkling water, alcohol). It is these items in the diet that can cause intense or long-lasting acidic pH in the mouth that then causes healthy bacteria to die and cavity-causing bacteria to thrive, thus leading to a caries infection.

• Consider the acidity (pH) of the dental products you are using. Do they neutralize your mouth? Know your pH. Don’t just brush and floss. . . neutralize!

How does xylitol prevent cavities?

Xylitol is a 5-carbon sugar that is commonly found in birch tree sap and naturally occurring in some fruits and vegetables. Xylitol works to prevent cavities in a number of ways:

• Bacteria cannot break down xylitol into acid as they do from all other fermentable sugars (i.e. sucrose, glucose, fructose, dextrose, etc.).

• When bacteria intake xylitol, they don’t intake as much other fermentable sugars, reducing acid production.

• Xylitol helps prevent the bacteria from adhering to the enamel, which prevents them from reproducing.

• Xylitol, used in conjunction with fluoride, can be more effective at repairing and remineralizing teeth than fluoride alone.

Xylitol actually works to control the number of acid-producing bacteria in the mouth, which can in turn prevent cavities, and is available in many forms, from gums and mints to toothpastes and mouth rinses.

Expert Advice

• Xylitol is usually measured in grams, and studies show the recommended therapeutic dose is 6-11 grams per day.

• Alkaline dental products that combine xylitol and fluoride may be more effective.

• If you ingest more than 25-30 grams in one day, you may have an upset stomach and/or diarrhea.

• Xylitol can be very harmful, even potentially fatal, to dogs, as they cannot metabolize it like people can.