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A sweet way to improve oral health and digestive health

May 22, 2017
New Thrive lollipops from Dr. John's Candies contain xylitol, probiotics, and fiber to promote oral health and digestive health. (Bonus: they may also promote weight management!)

New Thrive lollipops from Dr. John's Candies contain xylitol, probiotics, and fiber to promote oral health and digestive health. (Bonus: they may also promote weight management!)

I had the privilege of lecturing at the Michigan Dental Association’s Annual Session in Grand Rapids last month. I met a fabulous group of dental professionals and had a great time talking with them. After my lecture, I decided to peruse the exhibit floor to find out if there were any new products to check out. I was not disappointed!

Dr. John's Candies, well known for xylitol-sweetened lollipops and hard candies, was one of the companies launching a new product. Dr. John's Candies now offers Thrive, a lollipop that not only contains xylitol—3.3 grams of xylitol, to be exact—but also contains probiotics and 5 grams of fiber! This lollipop is beneficial for oral health and digestive health.

The author's niece, Cassie

Thrive lollipops are also a labor of love: Dr. John's Candies was challenged to make this lollipop by the families of the MaxLove Project, whose mission is to bring happiness, health, and healing to those touched by childhood cancer. They were seeking a lollipop that was enjoyable and beneficial to this population of SuperKids.

I tried the new lollipops. They are available in strawberry, blackberry, orange, and chocolate! They taste excellent, and I can say with experience that they do a nice job stimulating salivation. Given the well-documented benefits of xylitol and the added benefit of improved digestive health (not to mention the added claim that they promote weight management), these lollipops will be a great addition to my practice. I am looking forward to sharing them with my patients, particularly those with xerostomia, and I cannot wait to share them with Cassie, my lollipop-obsessed niece who has special needs.

I made multiple other interesting product discoveries at this meeting, and I will share them all in the upcoming months, so stay tuned!

Editor's note: This article first appeared in Pearls for Your Practice: The Product Navigator.Click here to subscribe. Click here to submit a products article for consideration.

Pamela Maragliano-Muniz, DMD, is an editorial director for Pearls for Your Practice: The Product Navigator, an e-newsletter from DentistryIQ and Dental Economics. She was a dental hygienist before earning her DMD from Tufts University School of Dental Medicine and her certificate in advanced prosthodontics from the UCLA School of Dentistry. She teaches, and she maintains a private practice in Salem, Massachusetts. In 2010 her practice was named the Adult Preventive Care Practice of the Year by the American Dental Association.

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