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.

Press Release

For Immediate Release

Phoenix Dentist Using Salivary DNA Tests

to Fight Periodontal Infections

Phoenix, AZ – April, 17, 2013 –  Phoenix dentist, Dr. L. Alan Ferguson, whose practice is located at 1222 E. Missouri Avenue, #201, is administering two molecular tests that provide supplemental information about a patient’s periodontal disease. This information can be used to develop patient-specific treatment plans for periodontal disease therapy and to help establish the therapy endpoint.

The two salivary diagnostic tests, named MyPerioPath^® and MyPerioID^® PST^®, are offered by OralDNA^® Labs Inc., a subsidiary of Quest Diagnostics.

Specifically, the MyPerioPath test provides semi-quantitative levels of 11 different species of bacteria known to trigger periodontal disease. In addition to identifying the bacterial pathogens, the test provides a bacterial-related risk of disease progression and suggestions for suitable antibiotic therapy. The MyPerioID PST test detects genetic changes (DNA polymorphisms) that have been associated with increased incidence and/or progression of chronic periodontal disease in some studies.

According to Dr. Ferguson, “We are very pleased to be one of the first dental practices in the area to utilize the MyPerioPath and MyPerioID PST salivary diagnostic tests, enhancing our ability to provide the best possible care.”

Periodontal disease is a chronic inflammatory disease that affects the gum tissue and other structures supporting the teeth. If left untreated, it can lead to tooth loss. Besides helping with tooth retention, successful periodontal treatment can help patients with diabetes to better control their disease.^1,2 About 50% of Americans have gingival bleeding, the more common but less severe form of periodontal disease.³ Prevalence of more severe disease is more difficult to ascertain.

Several research studies have associated gum disease with other chronic inflammatory

diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and rheumatoid arthritis.^4,5

For more information regarding the MyPerioPath^® and MyPerioID^® PST^® salivary diagnostic tests, or to schedule an appointment, call Dr. Ferguson at (602) 242-5445 or visit http://www.drfergusonaz.com.

About OralDNA Labs Inc. (www.OralDNA.com)

OralDNA Labs Inc., a subsidiary of Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE: DGX), is a specialty diagnostics company created to advance clinical testing in the dental community. The company’s goal is to help the dental profession achieve better clinical outcomes by providing reliable, definitive, and cost-effective clinical tests that drive the detection and prognosis of disease at an earlier, more treatable stage.

References:

1.      Swedish (Sweden) Koromantzos PA, Makrilakis K, Dereka X, et al. A randomized, controlled trial on the effect of non-surgical periodontal therapy in patients with type 2 diabetes. Part I: effect on periodontal status and glycaemic control. J Clin Periodontol. 2011;38:142-147.  

2.      Simpson TC, Needleman I, Wild SH, et al. Treatment of periodontal disease for glycaemic control in people with diabetes (Review). Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2010;(5):CD004714.

3.      Albandar JM, Kingman A. Gingival recession, gingival bleeding, and dental calculus in adults 30 years of age and older in the United States, 1988-1994. J Periodontol. 1999;70:30-43.

Alan Ferguson, D.D.S., P.C.

Chief Dentist

Dr. Ferguson is originally from Omaha, Nebraska. In 1975, Alan earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Zoology from Iowa State University and in 1979 graduated from the Virginia Commonwealth University Dental School.

Dr. Ferguson was in private practice in Richmond, Virginia before moving to Arizona to practice in 1994. Dr. Ferguson has taken many hundreds of hours of continuing education with an emphasis on restorative and functional cosmetic dentistry. Dr. Ferguson is a member of the American Dental Association, Arizona Dental Association and Central Arizona Dental Society as well as the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine and the Sleep Apnea Dental Institute. Dr. Ferguson is also a member of one of Arizona’s finest implant study clubs.

One thing you will notice about Dr. Ferguson is that he likes to have the practice resemble a home atmosphere, so every patient is treated like part of our dental family.