There’s more to oral health than simply flossing and brushing your teeth. Making sure you’re getting the right vitamins for teeth is important.
It’s good practice to use toothpaste and mouthwash regularly. However, do you know the specific ingredients in these products that actually keep your teeth clean?
Understanding the science behind healthy teeth can help you make more informed decisions about your oral care. There are certain vitamins with properties that directly contribute to healthier teeth. To get you started, here’s a list of the best vitamins for teeth.
Nutrients and Vitamins for Teeth
Vitamins are organic compounds that provide essential nutrients to your body. Their primary function is cellular growth and repair for all of your body’s systems.
In addition to activating growth, vitamins also strengthen your immune system.
For teeth, these properties improve their current structure and help fight disease in the surrounding tissue. If you’ve suffered from poor gum health, vitamins are particularly important in the recovery process.
Phosphorus
Most of the phosphorus in your body actually resides in your teeth. That’s why it’s important to consume protein-rich foods to replenish your body’s phosphorous levels. Foods such as dairy, meat, cereals, or nuts are direct sources of phosphorous.
Phosphorous primarily strengthens your bones. Although your teeth and your bones are different substances, they are both the hardest substances in your body. So, they require vitamins like phosphorous to maintain their hard structures.
Vitamin C
In order to get healthy teeth, sometimes you have to focus on healthy gums first. Vitamin C is one of the best vitamins for this. It contributes to tissue growth in your gums and blood vessel formation.
Since Vitamin C promotes gum growth, it also protects against conditions related to bleeding gums such as scurvy.
Citrus fruit like oranges are a go-to source for vitamin C. You can also find vitamin C in red bell peppers, yellow bell peppers, and pumpkin.
Calcium
Calcium is known for strengthening your bones and it can do the same for your teeth.
Similar to phosphorous, calcium hardens your teeth and your bones. When it comes to your teeth, calcium specifically strengthens your enamel. Both vitamins share skeletal growth properties, but calcium requires the chemical structure of phosphorous to be effective.
You can find calcium in milk, legumes, and cereals.
Vitamin D
Once your body intakes calcium, vitamin D conducts the calcium through your intestines and then through your bloodstream.
It’s crucial to consume vitamin D along with calcium so that you can retain it in your system. Otherwise, you can lose the healing properties that you’ve already gained.
Vitamin D largely promotes circulation so that other important vitamins are diverted where they’re needed.
Like other vitamins, vitamin D is found in milk. You can also find it in cereals.
Start Using Vitamins for Teeth
Each of these vitamins supports each other in strengthening your body. So be sure to focus on taking each of them regularly.
For more tips on improving your oral health, take a look at more articles on the site!