Vitamins and your Oral Health

ORAL HEALTH THROUGH PREVENTION

Our bodies and, in particular, our teeth, use minerals and vitamins for our health.

We are encouraged by doctors and dentists and hygienists to pay attention to the

relationship between what we eat and how we feel. Most of us were told the folk

wisdom “Drink your milk” because calcium builds strong bones and teeth. Other

foods are no surprise: proteins, greens, and fruit are the basic diet, including milk

and eggs. No sugar, no processed foods… these “no’s” make shopping so much

easier because in most stores you can skip all the central aisles.

Dr. Irene Vaksman’s article in General Dentistry, September 3, 2011 is titled

“Vitamins and Minerals for Oral Health? You’re Kidding!” Here is the link:

Dr.Vaksman Blog

The chart is interesting because it lists the vitamin, how it affects your mouth, and

what foods have it. What’s missing from the information is how much of the food

is necessary to supply the vitamin. Also, Dr. Vakesman doesn’t detail what studies

have determined these findings. Nevertheless, even if taken at face value only, the

information provided makes common sense.

A good diet helps with the intake of vitamins, but did you know that the RDA (recommended daily allowance) is just a guideline on how to prevent deficiencies?  

                                                           Recommended daily allowances

We need far more than what the RDA recommends!  So if you have bleeding gums, and you are doing your homecare daily (daily brushing and flossing), maybe adding additional multivitamins is a way to get that boost that you need.

Bottom line: what you eat is important to the health of your mouth.