As we grow, our teeth and gums change. Proper care of your teeth as well as eating a good diet can keep your smile beautiful and strong. Certain vitamins and minerals also help promote optimal oral health.
Maintain your teeth and gums healthy by proper brushing and flossing daily but it may not be the only step needed to prevent gum disease and tooth decay.
Our diets often do not adequately provide the nutrients required for healthy teeth and gums. Include plenty of fruits and vegetables, while avoiding refined carbohydrates, caffeine and excess sugar is beneficial for you to keep your teeth healthy. You can maintain your gum health and prevent tooth decay by taking vitamin supplements.
Keeping your teeth in good shape requires basic dental hygiene, but there are a lot of vitamins and minerals that affect your oral health as well. In addition to brushing, flossing, and having regular dental appointments, your diet should be varied enough to cover the basic nutritional needs of your teeth.
Below are the following is a list of vitamins/minerals to keep your teeth healthy:
Vitamin A
It not only helps in vision related problems but also it in the development of healthy teeth and gums. Vitamin A contains beta-carotene, which has antioxidant properties which assist in getting rid of free radicals, chemicals that speed up decay in the body. It is found in dark green vegetables, eggs, fortified dairy products, and liver. Also sweet potatoes, pumpkin, cheddar cheese, cantaloupe melon, apricot, and papaya.
Vitamin C
It is also called as ascorbic acid. It helps with the absorption of iron, maintains healthy connective tissues, and promotes strong teeth and gum tissue. It is found in citrus fruits, raspberries, spinach, plums, gooseberries, garlic, kale, and raw green cabbage. Animal sources include raw liver, raw oysters, and cod roe.
Vitamin D
It can be obtained when the body is exposed to sunlight, Vitamin D helps the body in calcium absorption as well as helping keep the right levels of calcium and phosphorous in the blood stream. Children need to get enough Vitamin D so that they will develop healthy teeth and bones, so it is often added to milk.
Calcium
Everybody must and should take enough calcium because this mineral is crucial in the development and maintenance of teeth and bones. In fact, your jaw bone forms the foundation that houses your teeth. Found in milk, soy milk (when calcium is added), nuts such as almonds, and sesame seeds etc.
Do not eat foods that contain high sugar content because these are not good for the teeth. Sticky sweets like candy can get stuck on tooth surfaces for extended periods of time, breaking down the tooth surface and causing cavities.