Many people still do not realize how much of a miracle modern dentistry is and how much it improves our quality of life. However, the numbers show that people spend more than $17 billion every single year in Canada alone on the services of dentists. There are more than 97,000 people scattered throughout the country working in the dental industry.
When most people think about oral health, they think about cleaning their teeth. However, consuming the right vitamins and minerals for teeth can be almost as important. Some dental problems will persist no matter how much you focus on cleaning.
A great Georgetown dentist will understand the importance of emphasizing proper nutrition as part of your oral care regimen. But what are the best vitamins and minerals for keeping your teeth strong?
Read on to learn all about the most powerful things you can include in your diet to promote oral health!
1. Calcium Is an Important Mineral for Strong Teeth
There are a few different parts of teeth that different vitamins and minerals can strengthen.
Some minerals will mostly strengthen enamel. Other vitamins or minerals can help increase your mineral density.
Others are ideal for synthesizing more collagen. Collagen is an important ingredient in dentin, a key ingredient in maintaining oral health.
Lastly, some vitamins and minerals promote excellent bone growth and bone density.
When most people think about minerals that might improve the health of teeth, they think of calcium. This is because calcium is famous for improving the strength of bones. This is good reasoning, but it arrives at the right answer for the wrong reason.
Calcium is a powerful mineral for helping your enamel to be as strong as possible. Enamel grows over the top of your teeth. It is not made of bone like some other parts of the teeth.
In fact, enamel is even harder than bone. The bones in your body do not contain any enamel. In other words, it is a coincidence that calcium is good for both bones and for the enamel in your teeth.
However, it is a happy coincidence, because enamel is the hardest substance in the human body and the main layer of defense against tooth decay. You can strengthen your bones and the enamel on your teeth at the same time with calcium.
2. Vitamin D Is One of the Best Vitamins for Teeth
If people had to guess which vitamin would be good for the health of their teeth, many would guess vitamin D. That is because vitamin D is also famous for contributing to the health of bones.
Vitamin D does a few things to help strengthen your teeth. First, it helps improve the mineral density of your teeth. That is a key component of the robustness and resilience of your teeth.
However, vitamin D is also important for helping carry calcium to your teeth. After it does this, it also helps deposit that calcium around your teeth and helps your teeth to absorb it.
In other words, if you are taking calcium, it is important to take vitamin D at the same time. Otherwise, you will not enjoy the expected effects.
Many people turn to dairy products to try to get natural sources of vitamin D. Others eat cereal that comes with added vitamin D. Of course, it is also important to remember that you can get Vitamin D naturally by exposing your skin to safe amounts of sunlight.
3. Vitamin C Is Among the Best Vitamins and Minerals for Oral Health
Vitamin C helps perform many functions in the body. When it comes to teeth, it is essential for helping your body to synthesize the collagen that is found in dentin.
Vitamin C is also famous for helping the body to heal. When your teeth are suffering from damage of some kind, vitamin C can help your gums and teeth to heal.
Citrus fruits contain huge quantities of vitamin C. You can also find vitamin C in some leafy green foods like kale or broccoli.
4. Improve Teeth and Gum Health With Phosphorus
Phosphorus helps your enamel to build itself up and stay strong.
You can find phosphorus in animal products. These include meat, fish, and poultry. You can also find plenty of phosphorus in eggs.
5. Use Vitamin A to Keep Your Mouth in Great Condition
Some people think that vitamin A is all about promoting health in the eyes. However, it is great for keeping your gums healthy as well. On top of that, vitamin A is one of the important ingredients in the process of forming keratin, which is itself an important ingredient in enamel.
It is easy to remember where you can find sources of vitamin A. Most orange plant foods have vitamin A, including carrots, cantaloupe, and sweet potatoes.
6. Vitamin K Can Strengthen Your Teeth and Bones
Vitamin K helps the calcium in your body bind to what it needs to. That makes it another important nutrient to have if you are trying to enjoy the benefits of more calcium in your diet.
You can find all the vitamin K you need in a surprisingly small quantity of broccoli. You can also find it in foods like Brussels sprouts.
7. Fluoride Has Incredible Benefits for Your Enamel
Fluoride is technically not a vitamin or a mineral. However, it has incredible effects on the enamel of your teeth.
Fluoride hardens your enamel, which helps it resist demineralization. That means that it protects against cavities and all kinds of tooth decay.
Enjoy the Health Benefits of the Best Minerals for Teeth
The more that you know about how the right minerals for teeth can improve your dental health, the more you might appreciate how essential your diet is for oral health.
The best Georgetown dentist will always tell you to combine dental cleaning with proper nutrition for maximum results. Combine those with the regular attention of the right dentist, and you will keep your teeth in great condition for as long as possible!
To learn more about how to maintain oral health, reach out and get in touch with us here!