Vitamins For Healthy Teeth

Deficient vitamin intake can cause problems for healthy teeth.Teeth and gums move through many changes as we age and often become diseased or distressed without us knowing.Preventing disease and easing the typical effects of aging can be accomplished by ingesting the right vitamins and minerals along with caring properly for your teeth and gums.Normal metabolism, balanced cell function and reinforced health affects the whole of the body and its processes and this includes your mouth.

 

 

Each vitamin has a purpose and a function to fulfill within the body.If a vitamin is not found in the body in a balanced state then a deficiency disease can take hold.At this point the body will need help and not only with the vitamin that is deficient.When a body is out of balance it attempts to right it self and can often pull heavily on other systems as well as other vitamins and minerals.

Healthy teeth and gums require a balanced diet and vitamin intake, however, there are several specific vitamins that are vital to healthy teeth and gums.These are A, C and D.

Vitamins A and D are fat-soluble vitamins.This means they are stored in the liver and adipose tissue of your body and are not easily excreted.Ingesting toxic levels of these vitamins is possible so do not add these as additional supplements to your daily vitamin intake without consulting a physician.
Vitamin A has a lot to do with the healthy formation of teeth and skin.It also aids in the formation and maintenance of mucous membranes and soft tissue, not to mention good vision.Vitamin A has a precursor called beta-carotene that has antioxidant properties.Antioxidant properties aid the body in dealing with chemicals called free radicals.Free radicals cause the body, in general, to decay.Eating foods rich in beta-carotene will help your teeth stay healthy.

Vitamin D is created in the body after exposure to sunshine.It only takes ten to fifteen minutes of exposure about three times a week to get enough sunshine to produce what your body needs in the way of Vitamin D.Vitamin D promotes calcium absorption and calcium absorption is necessary to develop and maintain healthy teeth and bones.Vitamin D also maintains healthy levels of the minerals calcium and phosphorous in the blood stream.It is essential for children to get adequate Vitamin D because it helps them to form strong bones and teeth.Vitamin D is often added to milk because children need so much more of it than an adults do.
Vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin.It is a vitamin that should be ingested daily.Water-soluble vitamins are washed out of the body once the body has what it needs.Vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid, promotes healthy teeth and gums, assists the absorption of iron and maintains healthy connective tissue.If you cut or scrape your skin, Vitamin C aids in the healing of those wounds.It also is an antioxidant.
Of course, maintaining adequate levels of all vitamins in the body is ultimately necessary to the maintenance of a healthy mouth.The body functions as a whole so any deficiency will tax the other systems requiring the deficient vitamin.

Calcium, calcium, and more calcium, everyone needs adequate calcium no mater what age they are.This mineral is intimately involved in the building of bones and teeth.What do bones have to do with teeth, you may be thinking?Plenty.Your "jawbone" is the foundation your teeth live within.If your jawbone is not healthy the chances are your whole mouth is not healthy.
In conjunction with calcium you need adequate levels of phosphorus.These two minerals work hand-in-hand to make your bones and teeth stronger.Investigate fluoride, magnesium and other minerals as necessary to strong teeth.

WHAT TO EAT
All bodies need vitamins to promote growth and health.Some vitamins are needed because the body cannot make them at all or makes them in insufficient amounts so food intake must supply them.
To get your Vitamin A, eat dark green and yellow fruits and vegetables, eggs, low-fat dairy products, and liver.Vitamin D is taken into the body by eating egg yolks, fatty fish (like tuna and salmon, sardines and herring), and drinking fortified milk.Getting your daily Vitamin C can be accomplished by eating citrus fruits, tomatoes, melons, berries, red peppers, green peppers, and broccoli.Proper calcium in your diet can be provided by including yogurt or other dairy products, cheese, tofu, vegetables such as broccoli and peas, beans, enriched grains as well as seeds and nuts.

WHAT NOT TO EAT
Stay away from foods that are high in calories, salt, sugar, and the wrong kinds of fat such as fast foods or processed and pre-packaged foods.Most meals that fall into this category are deficient in essential nutrients and can pack on the pounds quickly.Salt and sugar interfere with the body's metabolism by altering insulin processes and blood pressure among other destructive behaviors.Tooth decay and gum disease should be watched carefully if you fill your diet with fast foods or processed foods.The sugars included in these foods can cause tooth decay to increase rapidly.