I was just discussing my theory with a friend about why dentists are so into xylitol: we decided that it has a neutral effect on teeth, and that is much better than sugar's effect that now people believe it's actually beneficial. Eating it gives me intense intestinal distress, and I'm too nervous to have it in my house anyway because it can be a deadly poison to a cat or dog...in fact, my son came home from a friend's house with xylitol gum, left it lying around, and we caught the puppy chewing it. Okay, I'm seriously digressing here...I now use food grade hydrogen peroxide as a mouthwash, and I'll never go back!

I use it in my morning coffee and occasional baked good (grain free but with xylitol instead of honey, usually). I've backed my sweet tooth way off, but I still like a little something - and this seems like an okay compromise. It doesn't bother my gut at all and never has - but I've also never binged on it.

Rogue Nutritionist has a good point - if you've got pets, this practically needs to be under lock and key. I keep mine up high AND labeled as poison.

After I read what xylitol does to dogs, I decided not to use it.

I sometimes use baking soda for tooth powder, and sometimes use tooth soap made from olive oil and castor oil. If I feel I need a mouthwash, I use hydrogen peroxide.

You have to look up Dr. Ellie Phillips on the web. See both her site and her blog. Also her book "Kiss Your Dentist Goodbye" has an extensive chapter based on research about xylitol and oral health. After a year and a half on her program, which includes at least 6 grams of xylitol a day (which is only 1.5 teaspoons) my oral health is vastly improved (so says my dentist!)

Paleomofo: about diet soda and gum. Most of these products, if they contain xylitol, also contain sorbitol and/or manitol, which are also alcohol sugars. BUT, unlike xylitol, sorbitol and manitol also "feed" bad bacterial in the mouth that cause cavities and gum disease. For xylitol to help (because it creates an "unfriendly" environment for the bad oral bacteria), you need to have products that contain only xylitol as a sweetener. It's cheapest in its purest form (100% granular xylitol; 1.5 tsp in a glass of water is what I have), but you can also buy different brands of candies and gum that are made with only xylitol.

If you check out Dr. Ellie's site, you can read all about it for free.

I have had no issues with using Xylitol either as a toothpaste or in cooking. I had decided to switch over from normal toothpaste a few years ago wanting to remove products that contained detergents such as SLS. I found this one online and love it! http://www.amazon.com/Squigle-Enamel-Saver-Toothpaste/dp/B0001EKUWS/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1330412472&sr=8-6 As for cooking with it. I use Xylitol in paleo/primal recipes I find online when it calls for some kind of "sweetener". I have made paleo pumpkin pie with it numerous times for friends and family and no one could tell the taste difference. I usually buy it in bulk at the organic food stores found locally. Xylitol can be pretty pricy, so buying it in bulk like this makes it more affordable.

You have to look up Dr. Ellie Phillips on the web. See both her site and her blog. Also her book "Kiss Your Dentist Goodbye" has an extensive chapter based on research about xylitol and oral health. After a year and a half on her program, which includes at least 6 grams of xylitol a day (which is only 1.5 teaspoons) my oral health is vastly improved (so says my dentist!)