Vitamins and minerals are essential for maintaining healthy teeth and gums by helping to build strong tooth enamel, repair damaged tissue, and protect teeth from decay. While brushing and flossing are important for good oral hygiene, so is a good diet. Your diet should feature certain nutrients to improve your oral health. Please continue reading as we explore the best vitamins and minerals for your teeth and how our general dentistry/dentists located in Basking Ridge & Morristown NJ can assist you.
What is the Importance of Vitamins & Minerals for Your Teeth?
First, it’s important to understand that your teeth and gums are contact points for the nutrients you consume daily and are essential for the digestion process. According to the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, “the process of chewing allows you to extract the greatest possible amount of nutrients from the food you consume. Conversely, nutrient deficiencies can lead to oral conditions like inflammation and tooth loss.” This means that consuming the right vitamins through food and supplements can promote healthy teeth and gums. Your diet should include the following nutritional building blocks for your dental health:
- Calcium: This mineral is well known to be great for your bones. However, it’s good for your teeth too. In your mouth, it can help harden your tooth enamel, strengthen your jawbone, and repair damage caused by acid. Good sources of calcium include milk, cheese, and yogurt. If dairy or meat doesn’t work for you, add more calcium-rich vegetables to your diet, such as broccoli, collards, kale, and carrots. Salmon and sardines are also good choices.
- Vitamin D: This vitamin helps your body absorb calcium while boosting bone mineral density. It’s usually found in fatty fish, canned tuna, portabello mushrooms, milk, and orange juice. It’s important to understand that vitamin D deficiencies can lead to various oral health disorders, such as gingivitis and cavities.
- Potassium: Similar to vitamin D, potassium can promote bone mineral density, working with magnesium to prevent your blood from becoming too acidic. Bananas are a good source of potassium as well as lima beans, tomatoes, potatoes, avocados, and prunes.
- Phosphorus: This is another essential mineral as it helps the body absorb and use calcium to create hydroxyapatite, which is the primary structural component of bones and tooth enamel. It can be found in a wide range of protein-rich foods like meat, poultry, fish, and eggs. You can also get it from plant-based foods, such as soybeans, lentils, and pumpkin seeds.
- Vitamin K: This acts as a shield, helping to block substances that break down your bone. It strengthens teeth by binding calcium to your teeth, helping to prevent tooth decay.
- Vitamin A: This is great for saliva production, which helps prevent dry mouth and helps your mouth heal quickly.
- Vitamin C: This vitamin is great for your gums, helping to keep the connective tissues in your gum strong, which hold your teeth in place. Any deficiencies can lead to bleeding gums and gum disease.
As you can see, it’s important to maintain a healthy and balanced diet to protect your teeth. At Dental Associates of Basking Ridge, we are prepared to help with any of your oral health needs. Contact us today to schedule an appointment with our team.
