Your oral cavity, including your gums and teeth, is one of the most significant and frequently neglected areas of your body. Almost like every other part, it needs certain nutrients and vitamins.
To maintain your gums and teeth strong and healthy, you should retain yourself altogether healthy. Thus consuming a balanced diet with the right proportions of vitamins and minerals and all other nutrients.
Nevertheless, general health is related to oral health. All healthful diets will assist conserve your gums and teeth; certain vitamins are especially significant for the health of your gums and teeth.
For a healthy smile, you need to eat up calcium and a list of all the essential vitamins. Which vitamins and which diets you can find them in are mentioned in this article.
By consuming the right vitamins, you can make certain that you are eating for your oral health and your healthy smile!
Of course, you need to evaluate with a health professional before taking vitamins as supplements, as some can be hazardous when seized in large amounts.
What are Vitamins?
Vitamins are any group of organic compounds which are important for normal growth and development, and nourishment and are needed in minor quantities in food.
They are necessary to take as per need as the body cannot manufacture them.
Types of Vitamins: An Overview
Vitamins are categorized into two groups:
- Fat-soluble vitamins: vitamins that are stocked in the liver, muscles and fatty tissues. The fat-soluble vitamins are vitamins A, D, E, and K.
- Water-soluble vitamins: vitamins that are not stocked in our body. The water-soluble vitamins include vitamin C and all the B vitamins.
Best Vitamins for Healthy Gums and Teeth
Below are the important vitamins required for healthy gums and teeth, along with the foods that contain them and how they are related to the health of our oral cavity.
Vitamin C or Ascorbic Acid
Vitamin C is necessary as its functions include protein formation, which is utilized to prepare the skin, tendons, ligaments, and blood vessels for mending wounds and shaping scar tissue. It is also used to fix up and retain cartilage, bones, and teeth and absorb iron.
What foods contain Vitamin C?
Vitamin C is present in:
- Citrus fruit, especially oranges and orange juice
- Peppers
- Strawberries
- Blackcurrants
- Broccoli
- Brussels sprouts
- Potatoes
Oral manifestations of Vitamin C
Vitamin C is fundamental for creating a structural protein named collagen, which is a substantial portion of your gums.
Shortage of Vitamin C can cause Scurvy, which is indicated by impaired collagen formation due to disruptions in collagen formation. The oral representations of Scurvy involve bleeding gums and swollen gums.
Serious Vitamin C depletion is well known to bring a drastic periodontal syndrome called “Scorbutic gingivitis,”.
This syndrome is pictured by ulcerative gingivitis and sudden periodontal pocket advancement with tooth exfoliation. It is frequently correlated with a foul odor and poor oral hygiene.
Vitamin D or Calciferol
The next crucial vitamin is Vitamin D. The main biological task of this vitamin is to retain proper blood levels of calcium and phosphorus. Vitamin D helps in the absorption of calcium, assisting in structuring and conserving strong bones and teeth.
The two major forms of this vitamin are Vitamin D2 and Vitamin D3.
Vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol) is mainly human-made and put in foods. In contrast, vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) formed in the skin of humans from 7-dehydrocholesterol is also consumed via the infusion of animal-based diets.
What foods contain Vitamin D?
Vitamin D is present in:
- Fatty fish, especially tuna, mackerel, and salmon
- Diets fortified with vitamin D, like dairy derivatives, orange juice, soy milk, and cereals
- Beef liver
- Cheese and cheese products
- Egg yolks
- NOTE: Sunlight is also a rich source of Vitamin D
Oral manifestations of Vitamin D
Vitamin D deficiency can cause:
- Developmental abnormalities of enamel and dentin.
- Hypoplasia of enamel, a mottled or a grey enamel, may occur due to Vitamin D deficiency.
- Various studies have demonstrated that vitamin D deficiency also heightens the hazard of dental caries. Vitamin D enables the body to consume calcium and phosphate, which are significant for building and maintaining strong tooth enamel.
- Large pulp horns, huge pulp chambers or delayed closure of pulp spices is also a representation.
Vitamin A or Retinol
Vitamin A is indicated as it works to form and retain healthy teeth, bony and soft tissue, mucus coverings, and skin. It is moreover recognized as retinol because it develops the pigments in the retina of the eye. Vitamin A also facilitates good eyesight, especially in poor light.
What foods contain Vitamin A?
Vitamin A is present in:
- Dairy derivatives
- Liver
- Carrots
- Fish
- Fortified cereals
Vitamin A Oral Manifestations:
Vitamin A deficiency results in:
- An impaired formation of enamel
- Hypoplasia of teeth- since enamel arrangement is unsettled
- Dentin depleted of its tubular structure
- Alveolar bone- fault in the bone appearance
- Gingival epithelium comes to be hyperplastic; in prolonged depletion, it exhibits keratinization
- Periodontal disease: tissue is effortlessly occupied by bacteria that may induce periodontal disease
- The salivary gland undergoes conventional keratinizing metaplasia
Vitamin E or Tocopherol or Alpha-tocopherol
The antioxidant vitamin the Vitamin E is required as:
- It works to keep the immune system powerful against viruses and bacteria.
- It helps structure red blood cells and broaden blood vessels to protect the blood from clotting inside them.
- It enables the body to utilize vitamin K.
- Cells also expend vitamin E to interact with each other.
What foods contain Vitamin E?
Vitamin E is present in:
- Vegetable oils (like wheat germ, sunflower, safflower, corn, and soybean oils)
- Nuts (almonds, peanuts, and hazelnuts are the examples)
- Seeds (particularly the sunflower seeds)
- Green leafy vegetables (mainly spinach and broccoli)
Oral manifestations of Vitamin E:
The deficiency of Vitamin E causes failure of pigmentation and atrophic degenerative changes in enamel.
Vitamin K or Phylloquinone:
Vitamin K is very crucial as it works as a cofactor for the formation of blood coagulation factors. It also assists in forming several proteins that are required for the fabrication of bones.
Prothrombin is a vitamin K-dependent protein involved with blood clotting. Osteocalcin is another protein that needs vitamin K to create healthy bone tissue.
What foods contain Vitamin K?
Vitamin K is present in:
- Fresh leafy vegetables include kale, spinach, turnip greens, collards, Swiss chard, mustard greens, parsley, romaine, and green leaf lettuce.
- Vegetables such as Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage.
- Fish
- Liver
- Meat
- Eggs
- Cereals
Oral Manifestations of Vitamin K
Vitamin K has minor percentages of deficiency but can induce hemorrhagic situations in the gums.
Vitamin B12 or Cobalamin
Vitamin B-12 is vital to the typical process of the brain and the nervous system. It is also implicated in the formation of red blood cells and assists in building and supervising DNA.
The metabolism of each cell of the body relies on vitamin B-12, as it forms fatty acids and energy generation.
What foods contain Vitamin B12?
Vitamin B12 is present in:
- Meat
- Fish
- Milk
- Cheese
- Eggs
- Some fortified breakfast cereals
Oral Manifestations of Vitamin B 12
Deficiency of Vitamin will induce:
- Angular cheilosis is characterized by sores on the corners of the mouth
- Halitosis or bad breath
- Bone loss
- Hemorrhagic gingivitis
- Separation of periodontal fibers
- Unbearable ulcers in the mouth
Other Vitamin B: Vitamin B1, B2, B3 and B6
In addition to fulfilling as cofactors in biochemical reactions, the vitamin B complex is integral for normal body growth and development, healthy skin, the good process of nerves and the heart, and red blood cell construction.
What foods contain Vitamin B1, B2, B3 and B6?
- milk
- cheese
- eggs
- liver and kidney
- meat, specifically the chicken and the red meat
- fish, such as tuna, mackerel, and salmon
- shellfish, such as oysters and clams
- green vegetables, chiefly spinach and kale
Oral Manifestations of Vitamin B1 (Thiamine)
Deficiency of Vitamin B1 will cause:
- Cracked lips
- Angular cheilosis is characterized by sores on the corners of the mouth
Oral Manifestations of Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) Vitamin B3 (Niacin):
- Inflammation of the tongue
- Angular cheilosis is characterized by sores on the corners of the mouth
- Ulcerative gingivitis
Oral Manifestations of Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine):
- Periodontal disease
- Anemia
- Sore tongue
- Burning or prickling feeling in the oral cavity.
Hence, although brushing and flossing are important ways to maintain good oral hygiene, a balanced diet consisting of the right proportions of the right nutrients, vitamins, and minerals is also crucial.
It would be best to remember that lack of these vitamins could also harm your gums and teeth. All the vitamins mentioned should be taken regularly to get rid of periodontal and gingival diseases and tooth exfoliation.
Regular dental check-ups followed by scaling and polishing procedures and evaluation from best dental implants cherry creek for the correct nourishment help achieve healthy gums, strong teeth and excellent oral hygiene.