9/1/16 Know Your Nutrition | Volume 1 Article 15.
Nutritional Factors for Dental Health
The area of nutritional aid to dental health is lately receiving more attention. Teeth and gums reflect the health of the whole body. The degree of calcium absorption and the strength of the capillaries are two factors that are especially observable in the mouth. Nutritional intake is among the very key factors of dental health. Many incipient diseases and nutritional deficiencies can first be spotted by alert dentists or dental technicians. Thus, the mouth is a “window” to the nutritional state of the entire body.
The importance of good diet must be constantly stressed. Roughage such as apples, pears, and raw carrots is of great value. Sweets and sugars, especially “sticky ones” such as gum drops and caramel should be avoided. Even some vitamins are made with sugar, including children’s vitamins.*
A good, balanced, healthy diet will aid dental health. Crash diets, fad diets, and reducing diets may often negatively affect teeth and the entire system, for they all may lack essential factors.
In addition to dietary intake, what about vitamins? Many nutritionists are of the opinion that a good one-a-day balanced vitamin is nutritionally beneficial.
Adequate calcium intake is most essential for proper dental health. Very often this presents a problem. Some individuals suffer from lactose intolerance and are unable to ingest any dairy products. Others are on special diets that limit their calcium intake. Individuals assimilate different forms of calcium (such as lactate, gluconate, carbonate, orotate, and chelate) differently.
Other dietary factors are essential for calcium absorption. Among these is an adequate intake of Vitamin C and Vitamin D. Nutritionists believe that other nutrients such as zinc, chromium, silica, magnesium, and manganese may also play a positive part in calcium absorption.
Many nutritionists have had success in using citrus bioflavonoids (sometimes called “Vitamin P”) to aid in strengthening the capillaries. This, in turn, may help the problem of bleeding gums when the teeth are brushed.
Some of the negative factors interfering with calcium assimilation are excessive protein, excessive phosphates (found in sodas), oxalates (found in rhubarb), and caffeine (found in coffee and sodas).
The use of fluoride supplements taken internally to improve dental health is a matter of considerable debate among nutritionists. In any case, fluoride should be taken only under the supervision of a dentist or physician, and care should be taken to avoid an overdose.
Dental health is important both for cosmetic reasons, as well as to aid in the proper chewing of food, for more complete assimilation. More and more dentists are utilizing the nutritional supplements mentioned in this article to aid in the dental health of their patients.
Click here for information on these popular ones a day multivitamins:
Quintabs-M or Quintabs-M Iron Free
Freedavite
Geri-Freeda
Click here for information on these popular calcium products:
Calcium Carbonate
Cal-Citrate plus D
Super Cal/Mag