Sugar free sweets - which sweeteners do not cause tooth decay?

aquariangrrl

I want to buy some sugar-free sweets and lollipops to give to my LO as a treat every so often instead of sugar-laden sweets. I was wondering if there is any dentist or other expert who could tell me which sugar alternatives do NOT cause tooth decay.

Most sugar-free sweets/lollipops (such as Chupa Chups) seem to contain;

maltitol, sucralose or isomalt.

I know these sweetners are used by diabetics to stop blood sugar rising but I don't know how they affect the teeth. If anyone could advise which ones do NOT cause tooth decay I would be very grateful.

ariba10

I know very little on the subject but a little of what I do is that some, if not most artificial sweeteners tend to loosen the bowels.

( Give you the Trots)

Toothsmith

ariba10 wrote: »

I know very little on the subject but a little of what I do is that some, if not most artificial sweeteners tend to loosen the bowels.

( Give you the Trots)

All those sweeteners are OK dentally speaking.

It is right that they can give you the runs though. (And sometimes stomach cramps)

They are quite big molecules, and aren't absorbed through the gut, so the body tries to draw water into the gut from the body to dilute them down to the same concentration as the body. All this water being drawn into the gut is what causes the trots.

They'll be fine now and again, but why not look to savory treats, like a cheesestring (Yes, I know highly processed rubbish, but dentally good, easy to carry, and kids like them) Pepperami, crisps (But only the simple flavours - the more 'posh crisps' with exotic flavors ARE sugary) etc. Dried fruit, grapes, bannanas are all good children's snacks.

tirednewdad

Xylotol- less likely to cause tooth decay, but as mentioned too much and its regular trips to the bathroom

thrifty_sue

Toothsmith - I thought dried fruit was damaging to teeth

Toothsmith

Not really.

The fruit sugars are all bound up in the cell structure of the fruit, and aren't released.

Some fruit is quite acidic, which can cause it's own problems if eaten in excess, And dried fruit can also cause the trots if you have too much of it!!

Moderation in all things!!

anguk

I remember asking my dentist about sweets when my eldest was little, this was back when sugar-free things weren't very common and were mainly yukky diabetic chocolate. He told me that it was okay for my little one to have sweets as long as it was only a small amount and only every now and then and only after a meal. I think he said lollies & boiled sweets were bad because they stayed in the mouth longer and coated the teeth and I seem to remember him saying something about snacking between meals is worse than having something after a meal, but I could be wrong, it was a long time ago!

Toothsmith

That's all true.

If the sugar intakes are all kept together (Meals & sweets) then they do less overall damage.

aquariangrrl

Thanks for the replies.

I only mean to give my LO a lollipop per day as a treat. I already give him lots of dried fruit and he loves fresh fruit and I give him savoury snacks too but would like sometimes to be able to give him sweets as a treat like we had when we were younger.