Are you keen to learn the best vitamins for healthy gums, or been told that vitamin supplements for the teeth will cure all your woes? Today, Vitality separates the wheat from the chaff and keeps you up-to-date on the truth- and the fallacies- behind the best vitamins for teeth and gums.
Will supplements for healthy gums and teeth fix my dental issues?
Nothing- and we really do mean nothing- will be as healthy for your teeth and gums as quality home care supplemented by regular visits with your dentist. With that said, however, vitamin supplements for your teeth are not totally without value. It’s important to manage your expectations, however, to ensure you have a truly positive experience with them.
Start with your toothbrush
Why does a good home dental care routine matter so much? Firstly, it’s important to understand what brushing, flossing and tongue scraping actually does for you. It’s something that no vitamin will be able to bridge the gap with- because it’s literal, mechanical removal of the most damaging agents in tooth decay from your mouth.
Flossing removes impacted particles from between the teeth, tongue scraping removes bacterial growth and impacted food from your tongue surface, and brushing does the rest. This breaks down the ‘film’ on which dental bacteria feed and live, sweeping them off the tooth and out of the mouth. Without these bacterial agents in place, no tooth-enamel eating acids are released, so cavities and the accompanying tooth decay don’t occur, and no formation of harmful plaque or gum-pockets of bacteria occur. Gingivitis and gum conditions are warded off, and your mouth remains a pH balanced, safe environment conducive to the maintenance of your tooth enamel and free from microbial damage.
In a perfect world, we’d be able to keep our own mouth squeaky clean through regular maintenance. However, this doesn’t quite occur, and that’s where a good dental practice steps in. Regular deep cleans ensure that any missed bacterial pockets or tartar build-up is removed, restoring that oh-so-important balance to the mouth. Just like your car needs an occasional tune-up to run at its best, so does your mouth, and this is where your dentist shines. They can also help you address issues such as cracked and damaged teeth, missing teeth, the whitening of teeth and fluoride treatments to strengthen your enamel. Lastly, of course, there’s the aesthetic management side [veneers, crowns and more] as well as the correction of critical issues such as jaw issues and tooth alignment and erroneous bites.
So what role do vitamin supplements for the teeth play in this pattern?
So, as you can see, no vitamin supplement for the teeth is going to replace your toothbrush or your dentist. However, the best vitamins for healthy gums support and bolster this process of care so you have an extra line of defence against bacterial invasion of your oral health- from the inside out this time.
It’s no secret that our modern diets are not the best for oral health. We sip on staining, acidic drinks that corrode enamel. We love indulging our sweet tooth and consuming way too much sugar [feeding those oral bacteria on the way too]. We miss out on the veggie servings that would give us the vitamins and minerals needed for healthy gums and teeth. The best vitamins for teeth and gums thus help us reverse the harmful effects of these poor lifestyle choices, and help fortify our delicate gums and teeth.
What are the best vitamins for healthy gums?
Once the visible phases of gum disease are reached, we can only slow the clock rather than halt it. It’s way better, of course, to prevent ourselves from developing this disease in the first place! Supplements for healthy gums can play a role here. Firstly, vitamin C is a critical part of skin tissue and fights off inflammation and free radicals when paired with vitamin A and E, including that in the gums. Zinc also helps your body build strong gums, and fights off plaque formation too. The B vitamins help build strong, stable connective tissue, and iron keeps your gums pink and healthy.
Coenzyme Q10 has also been proven to reduce inflammation in the gum tissue, helping fight inflammation due to periodontal disease, as can selenium. Omega 3 fatty acids are also showing promise in warding off the bone damage caused by unhealthy gums and gum disease.
What vitamin supplements for teeth are there?
Many of the same vitamins that help build healthy gums help promote strong teeth and tooth enamel too. Vitamin supplements for teeth are also packed full of zinc and vitamin A, C and E for the same reasons. Of course, adequate calcium is needed to build healthy enamel, and this means making sure your phosphorus, vitamin D, potassium and magnesium levels are well balanced too if the body is to use it correctly. Fluoride, sometimes found in the water you drink but otherwise supplemented in toothpaste, is another critical enamel-strengthening component.
As you can see supplements for healthy gums and teeth are, in fact, many of the same vitamins needed for good all-round health. A healthy body, after all, is built from the inside out.
When should I take vitamin supplements for teeth?
Before you run out to buy a host of pill bottles, however, it’s important to realise that this whole process should start with a great diet. Yes, it’s time to boot the sugar and load up with rich green, yellow and red veggies instead! While a vitamin supplement for the gums and teeth can help fill in the gaps caused by a poor diet, the body doesn’t utilize vitamins and minerals from tablets as well as it does those synergistically playing a part in the food on our plate. A vitamin supplement should only be used to boost growing children, or support your body, rather than as an excuse for a bad diet- you simply won’t be able to out-supplement the effect a terrible diet will have on your teeth.
The best vitamins for teeth and gums are those which act together with your other preventative measures to keep your mouth healthy, clean and free of inflammation. Rather than relying on them as a front-line way to fight tooth decay and gum disease, rather think of them as part of the whole package that boosts your oral health through good habits, proper cleaning, regular maintenance and a great diet.
