Teeth maintenance

I work in the field of dental research. (I work in a lab).

The thing that really helps prevent cavities in your SALIVA. The bacteria in your mouth, streptococcus mutans, eats the sugar in your mouth. A byproduct of this is lactic acid, which breaks down the mineral in your enamel and dentin. Saliva acts as an acid buffer to prevent this. In addition there is a protein "web" called the pellicle layer which also protects teeth from acid and erosion.

Chewing gum stimulates saliva flow, which buffers the acid. Heck, chewing on plain old beeswax will help.

And since we're in this context...

The dental significance of xylitol was "discovered" in Finland in the early 70's, when scientists at Turku University showed it could prevent caries.

Xylitol-Jenkki, the first xylitol chewing gum in the world, was launched by the Finnish company Leaf in 1975.
http://www.xylitol.org/

Even though I am not afraid of dentists... I'm still in defensive mode :-)