If you read health blogs or follow a fitness influencer, you know vitamins and minerals are an essential part of your health. But vitamins are good for more than keeping your energy up or gut health, they are hugely important to good oral health as well. Vitamins are preventative measures for common oral health issues. Improving your mouth’s health every day with vitamins is a proactive way to ensure a pain-free healthy dental experience. Dr. Laurie McNamara McClatchey and Dr. James A. McNamara at McNamara Orthodontics recommend these five for tooth health and strengthening your enamel and promoting jaw health.
Vitamin A
Vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin that is stored in the liver. It is found in foods such as milk, cheese, eggs, and fortified cereals. Vitamin A is important for vision, immunity, reproduction, and aids your body in keeping mucous membranes healthy. This is especially helpful after a dental procedure or oral surgery. It also helps the heart, lungs, and kidneys work properly. A lack of vitamin A can cause night blindness, dry eyes, and an increased risk of infections.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C is an anti-inflammatory, which can help with lesions, cuts, and discomfort that comes from braces or a recent tightening or adjustment. Vitamin C’s anti-inflammatory properties are also good for fighting off canker sores. It’s a good choice to keep up the health of the soft tissue in your mouth. This vitamin is also great to bolster your immune system! Another benefit of increasing vitamin C in your diet is preventing gingivitis. By the time you reach adulthood, you’ve most likely already experienced some form of gingivitis. Gingivitis in its mild forms is present in most adults, even those with excellent oral hygiene routineVitamin C is easy to get into your daily diet; it’s found in oranges, red peppers, and leafy greens!
Calcium
Did you know your teeth are bones? And just like all of the other bones in your body, a healthy amount of calcium keeps them strong and helps prevent decay and breaking. Calcium also strengthens your jaw bone, where your teeth attach to your skull. Strong and healthy bone tissue is a baseline of good oral health. Calcium is found in dairy products like milk, cheese, and yogurt.
Vitamin D
Getting enough vitamin D has large implications throughout the body, not just in the mouth. Vitamin D is essential because it helps your body absorb vitamin C. Enough vitamin D helps to increase your bone mineral density and leads to healthier bones. Because of these qualities, vitamin D is ideal for those undergoing orthodontic treatment, strong bones in the face and teeth allow for correction of the bite to be long lasting and healthy. Vitamin D is great because you don’t have to buy anything to incorporate it into your life, just step out into the sun!
Vitamin K
Many people haven’t really heard of vitamin K, or don’t understand what it does for your body. Vitamin K is integral in the functions aided by osteocalcin. Osteocalcin is secreted by your bone cells, and regulates muscle strength and any physical movement capabilities. Because it works closely with bone cells, vitamin K has effects on your bone and tooth health, but also is essential to cognition and regulating glucose metabolism. This little-known vitamin essentially is powerful all over the body! Vitamin K is found in cabbage, kale, spinach, broccoli, and soybean oil.
