Xylitol: The Cavity-Clobbering Sweetener Your Teeth Will Love

If you’ve struggled with cavities, you know that better brushing and flossing alone aren’t enough to solve your cavity conundrum. You’ve already tried! That’s why having a few extra tools in your cavity-fighting arsenal can make a world of difference, and one of our favorites is xylitol—a natural sweetener your teeth will love. But what exactly makes xylitol such a powerful cavity-clobbering hero?

How Xylitol Helps You Take Down Cavities

Xylitol gets right to the root of cavities, tackling both the pesky bacteria that cause them and the acid attacks that weaken your teeth. Harmful bacteria in your mouth feast on food particles and churn out tooth-dissolving acid.

But here’s where xylitol turns the tables: it looks so tasty to these bacterial baddies that they can’t resist gobbling it up over anything else. The twist? They can’t actually digest it. With bellies full of what might as well be rocks, these bacteria start to starve, dramatically reducing their numbers in your mouth.

Research shows that regularly exposing your mouth to xylitol significantly cuts down on the number of Streptococcus mutans bacteria—the sneaky acid-producers that cause so much damage. And with fewer of them around, you’re much more likely to keep your smile cavity-free.

Xylitol Boosts Your Body’s Natural Acid Defenses

Beyond battling bacteria, xylitol also supports your body’s natural defenses against acid. After eating or drinking acidic foods, your mouth starts working to neutralize the acid with saliva, which is like your mouth’s personal defense squad. But that process can take as long as 30 minutes—and during that time, your teeth are on the front lines, vulnerable to acid attacks.

Xylitol helps get your saliva flowing faster, reducing the time your teeth spend at risk. Chewing xylitol-sweetened gum or popping a mint right after meals, snacks, or sodas is a great way to protect your teeth and give acid the boot.

How to Get the Most Out of Xylitol

Like any health booster, how often and how much you use matters. For xylitol to make a difference, oral health experts recommend at least 6 grams a day, spread over three uses. Since your teeth are especially vulnerable after meals, snacks, or acidic drinks, those are the best times to get your xylitol fix.

Xylitol is easy to find in gum and mints, but make sure you choose brands that pack in enough to make an impact—many big-name brands only sprinkle in small amounts.

We’re biased, but we recommend Epic xylitol gum and mints, which are loaded with oodles of xylitol to help you easily hit that 6-gram mark each day and keep cavities at bay.