XYLITOL
Miracle for my teeth, gums, and tongue!
Finally, I found a solution! When eating raw cashews for an abscessed tooth, I also discovered that Xylitol can help to eliminate Streptococcus mutans and Streptococcus sobrinus - a.k.a. gram positive bacteria, a.k.a. nasty stuff! These are the two that largely responsible for dental caries, and health issues in the mouth, the preeminence going to Streptococcus mutans.
I had already found out that anacardic acid is lethal to Streptococcus mutans, which I wrote about here: Raw Cashews and Tooth Decay, but I still wanted to do something to improve the overall health of my mouth. I knew that a healthy mouth included healthy teeth, gums, tongue, and saliva.
Remembering that years ago, I had started to chew Xylitol gum and use Xylitol mints to help improve the health of my teeth, I decided to once again "dig into" the benefits of Xylitol for my oral health. I had been so excited about the disappearance of the abscess, when I started consuming a lot of raw cashews, that I thought there must be something else I could do.
The lumps that had appeared on one side of my face, which were painful to the touch, let me know I had an abscess in one of my teeth. After I finally exerted enough pressure on the largest one, to bring what was inside it to the surface, I was really concerned, as it was thick, white material that I knew was from an infection. My tongue was also affected, as it had become "grainy", and very dark in the center, as if the taste buds were dying off. Those in the center crease of my tongue were brownish-colored, and dry. When I chewed anything, it felt like I was being stabbed in the roof of my mouth, with wheat husks or something. I actually went into the bathroom, and with tweezers, pulled out the offending dry, sharp, taste buds. I am writing this in layman's terms, as "they" say, so if I am not properly referring to what they were, forgive me.
Within 24 hours after I thoroughly chewed and swalled about 4 to 6 ounces of raw cashews, spaced thoroughout the day, the largest lump on my cheek went down and the others "followed suit'. No longer was it painful to touch the area, and nothing else came out of the one lump, when I applied pressure to it. To my great delight, my tongue started to clear up, too! I continued to eat the raw cashews for several days, and my mouth and my tongue felt world's better!
Still, I knew I needed to do something else to get rid of a lot of the bacteria that was evidently residing in my mouth. Xylitol did not immediately come to mind, as I had stopped using it years before, due to it's unpleasant effects on my digestive system. Within hours of chewing Xylitol gum, or eating Xylitol mints, or adding Xylitol to my coffee, I would be bloated, and rushing to the restroom frequently. As you can imagine, that was not pleasant. I tried it again, off and on, but always ended up with the same results.
In retrospect, it may have been because I was consuming products made with Xylitol from corn, instead of from the birch tree. Never did it occur to me, to check on the source of the Xylitol. At any rate, I was not anxious to start ingesting Xylitol again, but thought I should experiment with it, as it is renowned for its positive effects on oral health.
How I Use the Xylitol
My experiment was so simple, a child could do it. I simply took some Xylitol powder that I had kept, ground it in a "Magic Bullet" type of blender, and put it into a plastic jar on the bathroom counter. I put a tiny spoon in the jar, so I could measure out some of the powder onto the palm of my hand, without getting any moisture into the jar. I wet my toothbrush with water, dipped it into the Xylitol powder, and commenced to brush my teeth and gums with it. The moisture on the toothbrush easily picked up a lot of the Xylitol powder, as you can see in the photo at the top of the page. I continued to put my toothbrush back into the powder in my palm, and then used that to brush my teeth and gums.
The Xylitol has a cooling effect on your entire mouth, and it actually tastes like you are brushing your teeth with sugar! When I was finished, I swished the Xylitol and water around in my mouth for several seconds, and then spit it out in the sink. I did not rinse my mouth afterwards, as I wanted any Xylitol left, to remain on my teeth, gums, and tongue.
It was not even a week, merely several days, until I could see a dramatic difference in my gums, my tongue, and my teeth. I have been doing this now, for awhile, and have nothing but good to say about how Xylitol affected my oral health.
When I took a trip to the health food store in our area to get some more Xylitol, so I would not run out, I was surprised to find only brands that were from China. Since we have a lot of birch trees here in the United States, I had a hard time understanding that. Online, I found several companies who have birch Xylitol, from the US, and ordered some that way. The Xylitol I had been using before, when I was experiencing all of the gastric disturbances, was from corn. I checked the company, and their Xylitol, made from corn husks, was not from Non-GMO sources. Perhaps that was the reason it affected me as it did - I truly do not know.
All that I do know, is that the Xylitol made from birch did not seem to bother my intestines, or create gas and bloat, like the Xylitol that was sourced from corn or corn husks. It is possible that others have not experienced those reactions from it, but I did!
I will come back and update this information, as time goes on. Please do give the Xylitol a try, for the sake of your teeth. If I had known years ago, what I know now, I would have 5 more teeth in my head!
P.S. The brand that I am using, is below. I suggest that once you open the bag, you grind the Xylitol crystals up into a fine power, with a VitaMix, or a blender, or a food processor of any kind. It is much easier to use, and it will last you a lot longer, too!
Why didn't I find this out years ago? I always thought that my teeth gave me trouble because I had eight children, but found out that may have had nothing to do with it, at all!
At the time of this writing, I am 62 years old. Off and on, over the years, I have had some problems with my teeth. Despite using regular fluoride toothpaste, flossing, abstaining from soda drinks, and even using soap to brush my teeth - I still had tooth decay, to the point of having all of my wisdom teeth pulled, and one tooth in about the middle of my upper side.
< This is the brand I have been using. You can click on the photo to order some, or here: Health Garden Xylitol from birch trees, non-GMO 1 pound or you can just go to Amazon on your own, and get it.
If you can find it locally, great! I have been very, very pleased with the results I have experienced, and am sure you will be, too.
More About Why Xylitol Contributes to Oral Health:
There are LOTS of websites that talk about the beneficial results of using Xylitol, but the one below is loaded with information:
HOME