Important Vitamins & Minerals for Oral Health

 

Vitamins and minerals are extremely important for your overall dental health. When there is a significant lack of Calcium for instance, the teeth will become weaker and start to erode. An inadequate dietary intake can affect your dental health, and the gums may become inflamed or the teeth become much weaker.

Vitamin A - this precious vitamin helps maintaining proper saliva flow so that bacteria are flushed away from the mouth. Also, Vitamin A maintains a healthy mucous membrane and mouth tissues. One of the best sources of Vitamin A include beef liver, sweet potatoes, melon, and spinach.

Vitamin B1 - helps maintaining the natural and healthy rose pink color of your gums, and it fights off tongue inflammation very successfully. Some of the best food sources containing Vitamin B1 include sunflower seeds, all sorts of vegetables and pork meat.

Vitamin B2 -is an extremely important vitamin for the prevention of cheilosis. This is condition when the corners of the mouth become fissured or start scaling. Mushrooms, milk products or lean steak are perfect sources of Vitamin B2.

It is important to mention that you can maintain proper dental health also if you start taking multivitamin capsules. Eat healthy and take these vitamins on a daily basis for at least a month to fuse your system with precious nutrients. Also, Vitamin B3 helps greatly fighting off gingivitis symptoms.

Vitamin B5 or Panthenoic Acid - patients who have undergone major dental health surgery, are advised to increase their Vitamin B5 intake as it helps with healing of the oral tissues in general. Some of the best food sources for this vitamin include liver, kidney, or egg yolks.

Folic Acid- or Vitamin B9 - is the best vitamin to help preventing inflammation of the tongue, and it also fights off the symptoms of chronic periodontitis. Also, patients with yeast infection problems are advised to increase their intake of Vitamin B9.

Top 5 Teeth Staining Culprits!

Culprit #1

Coffee and Tea. Many of us love a good old cup of Joe in the morning or a nice cup of tea. Unfortunately, drinking several cups per day will cause the tannin chemicals in coffee and tea to turn your teeth yellowish or a darker shade. If you must have that coffee or teas in the morning to get going, try to limit your intake to a cup per day. Avoid black coffee or tea - try milk-based choices if at all possible.


Culprit #2
Cigarettes. One of the worst offenders, cigarettes stain you teeth in multiple ways... not only do the effect of the tobacco leaves stain your teeth, the habit of smoking causes the smoker to continually expose the teeth to the staining process.


Culprit #3
Wine. Dark wines such as reds have the greatest staining impact on your teeth due to the dark purple colors found naturally in the grapes used for their production. Lighter wines have a lesser impact, but can still stain your teeth over time. Always try to rinse your mouth thoroughly with clear water after enjoying wine to minimize the staining impact of your vino.


Culprit #4
Soda / Pop / Cola. Whatever you call them, dark colored soft drinks can have a major staining effect on your teeth. The food coloring in soda heads right to the tooth and begins darkening almost immediately. If possible, limit your intake of soda, or enjoy lighter colored sodas. Using a straw to sip you soda can also help reduce the staining effect by reducing the contact between the soda and your teeth.


Culprit #5
Processed foods. Make processed foods are chocked full of chemicals and food colorants that make them look and taste mouth-wateringly yummy. Unfortunately, those artificial goodies are a big source of teeth staining badness. Don't believe us? Have a quick peek at your teeth after enjoying some chips or another snack. They'll most likely resemble the snack instead of their normal bright white selves.

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