Dental Care Tips by Lotte Xylitol

Last Wednesday July 30, I attended a short Dental Care talk by Lotte Xylitol at Kitchen's Best Home Patisserie in BGC. I felt so honored to be invited by Mommy Ginger, together with other mommy bloggers, to this intimate bloggers' meet-up.

           

Group picture with some of the mommy bloggers, as the others had already left after the talk.

Anything that could increase my knowledge as a first-time mom, I would love to attend and dental care is one of them. I can't say that I have a perfect teeth, although I still have a complete set of teeth, I do have lots of restored ones. And because of that, I want to really take time to learn more about how to properly take care of my child's teeth so that she'll grow up with a healthy smile.

Official poster to this mini event.

What is Tooth Decay?

First, let's define what tooth decay is. Tooth decay, also known as dental caries or cavities, is the bacterial infection that causes demineralization and destruction of tooth enamel resulting from interactions between teeth, food and bacteria. 

Got this illustration from the internet

What Causes Tooth Decay?

Every time we eat, especially fermentable carbohydrates or sweets, the food breaks down into simple sugars which will then work with bacteria, thereby producing acids that dissolve minerals inside our tooth enamel in a process called demineralization. It happens when minerals are being lost faster than they are being regained.

We must also take note that the longer the food stays on our teeth, the more acids will be produced. Thus we must avoid frequent eating especially those sticky and retentive type of food such as potato chips and biscuits that get stuck in crevices of our teeth. If you will be asked to choose between chocolate or biscuit, it's better to eat chocolate because it just melts and can be easily washed away with water.

Think before eating.

Other Causes of Tooth Decay

Aside from food, did you know that tooth decay is transmissible and contagious? Even if we brush our child's teeth properly, there are still other ways that can cause tooth decay and these are:

1. by blowing our child's food when it's hot
2. kissing our child on the lips
3. sharing of utensils with our child

Scary right? I also can't stop myself from kissing and sharing food with my toddler.
 
If you see white spots building up on your child's teeth, that's already the start of tooth decay. If only I learned about it earlier, I would have taken the necessary actions to prevent my child from getting stains on her two front teeth, plus I shouldn't have given her iron supplements that caused the stains.

White spots on a child's teeth

Effects of Tooth Decay

Getting a tooth decay not only denies our child from having a healthy smile but can cause them the following repercussions:

1. difficulty in eating thus depriving them from proper nourishment and nutrition
2. sleepless nights due to irritability and pain or toothache
3. increased absenteeism in class
4. may affect their permanent teeth and result in softer enamel
5. incur additional expenses for dental treatment and procedures
6. may lead to irreversible gum diseases when they grow up
7. may bring negative emotional impacts which can become a barrier to their success and development
8. can weaken their body's immune system and make them prone to infections
9. can lead to arthritis, heart disease, endocarditis, gastrointestinal diseases

Effects of Tooth Decay on Children

What makes a Healthy Smile?

According to Dr. Fina, pedia dentist, as soon as the first tooth erupts, the habit of brushing starts. Never be lax with the fact that they're still considered milk teeth and will eventually be replaced with permanent teeth. Remember that baby teeth act as place holders for your permanent teeth. If a baby tooth gets extracted too early, the permanent tooth might not come out of its proper place thus might affect the overall look of the teeth. 

Picture with Dr. Fina Lopez

In order to protect your baby's teeth from tooth decay or dental cavities, proper brushing should be done. We, parents or caregivers, should assist our toddlers in brushing by doing it in a knee-to-knee position. 

Knee-to-knee position.

 Here are some important tips to ensure that our child's teeth are kept clean:

1. brush at least twice a day, morning and evening, for at least 2 minutes or shorter for lesser teeth; you can sing the "Happy Birthday" song twice as your time guide.
2. use a smear of fluoridated toothpaste, at least 1000 ppm, for children 2 years and below and pea-size for 2-6 years old. Aqua Fresh Milk Teeth (0-2) toothpaste is a perfect example.
   
   

   

   Our dental kit

3. change toothbrush every 3 months or if the bristles are already frayed
4. don't rinse with water after brushing, let the fluoride stay on the teeth for added protection, just spit out the bubbles
5. visit the dentist regularly, at least twice a year
6. flossing after brushing
7. chewing xylitol dental health gum daily, 4-10g per day (for 6 years and up)
8. eating a healthy well-balanced diet

To recap, we learned that bacteria breaks down carbohydrates producing acids that's harmful to our teeth. Mouth acidity is measured by the pH level of our saliva. A pH level above 7.0 is considered safe or in an alkaline state while below that is already acidic. When the acidity level drops below 5.5, enamel starts to erode or demineralize, thus tooth decay happens.

pH Level that measures our mouth acidity

Aside from proper oral hygiene, there's still another way to prevent tooth decay. and that is with the help of Xylitol.

What is Xylitol and its Benefits?

1. derived from natural sources such as birch trees, berries and some vegetables, also known as birch sugar, wood sugar or sugar alcohol 
2. 100% natural sweetener with dental health properties
3. has 40% less calories that normal sugar 
4. comes in the form of chewing gum, candy, toothpaste, mouthwash, etc.
5. does not cause tooth decay (non-cariogenic)
6. helps stop the development of tooth decay (cariostatic)
7. reduces dental plaque formation
8. enhances remineralization of teeth
9. effective preventive agent of caries pathogen suppression and caries reduction
10. certified safe by World Health Organization, Philippine Dental Association, etc.

 Check out the succeeding infographics below on how Xylitol protects our teeth.

Mutans Streptococci feeds on the sugar that we eat and produces acid that causes tooth decay.

Xylitol replaces the bad sugar to stop Mutans Streptococci from producing acid.

Xylitol also helps bring back minerals to our teeth and reverses tooth decay.

Introducing Lotte Xylitol Dental Health Gum

And speaking of xylitol, let me introduce to you Lotte Xylitol. It is a dental health gum that uses 50% xylitol as a natural sugar substitute. It also contains Calcium Phosphate that helps rebuild teeth. 

Aside from the benefits I've listed above, putting xylitol in a gum form is more effective because chewing induces salivation which then neutralizes or raises our mouth's acidity or pH level. It simpler terms, saliva helps clear the sugar and acid from our teeth thus preventing tooth decay.

The recommended chewing dosage of Lotte Xylitol is 2 pellets, 4-5 times a day, every after meals. It comes in four (4) different flavors and packaged in 3 sizes.

Four flavors of Lotte Xylitol are as follows:
Blue - Fresh Mint, Green - Lime Mint, Purple - Blueberry Mint, Pink - Strawberry Mint

Lotte Xylitol is available in leading groceries and supermarkets nationwide. Just to give you an idea of the price point.

Lifted this photo from their Facebook page.
This is actually my favorite flavor, Lime Mint.

Handy Bottle 60g (approx 40 pellets) costs around P75.00

Mini Bottle 30g (approx 20 pellets) costs around P41.00

Blister Pack 12g (8 pellets) costs around P18.00

Photo booth shot with Kim (Mom on Duty) and Lanie (Tweensel Mom)

Lotte Xylitol Smile Champions Contest

They're currently running a photo contest and you just need to have a handy bottle plus your healthy smile. Promo runs until Aug. 22, 2014. Click the poster below for full mechanics.

Smile Champions

Did you know that...

As early as below 1 year of age, cavity-causing bacteria can already be transmitted from mother to child.

Mothers who regularly consumed Xylitol for a 2-year period from the birth of their child greatly reduced the chances of tooth decay in their children.

The tooth decay preventing effects of Xylitol can be achieved even by just having the mothers consume Xylitol.

Wow, amazing Xylitol! So what are you waiting for? Grab a bottle of Lotte Xylitol and start your dental habits now. Let's #SpreadHealthySmiles with #LotteXylitol and #MakeItZero cavities.

For more info about Lotte Xylitol, visit them at:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lottexylitolgum

Thank you once again Mommy Ginger and Lotte Xylitol for the invite!

Mommy Sally