The importance of a good diet for healthy teeth and gums

article by Raha Sepehrara

The Vitamins and Minerals that are needed for the growth of bones and teeth are listed below.

Vitamin A helps keep your bones, teeth and skin healthy. It is found in foods such as carrots, sweet potatoes, spinach, mangoes, apricots, broccoli and tuna.

Vitamin B has many components but mainly helps with keeping your metabolism and nervous system healthy. It is found in lots of foods but mainly cereals, lean meats and green vegetables.

Vitamin D helps with the formation of bones and with keeping calcium and phosphorous in the body. It also protects the body from low calcium intake. A natural source of vitamin D is sunlight. It is found in these foods eggs, liver, mushrooms, and most oily fish.

Calcium builds strong bones and teeth and helps prevent blood from clotting. Food sources that high in calcium are milk, cheese and yoghurts. It is also found in broccoli green beans, brussel sprouts and orange juice.

Magnesium when it comes to the mouth magnesium helps to prevent tooth decay and helps hold calcium to the enamel. It is found in foods like nuts, cereals and cocoa.

Zinc helps with bone structure and is found in milk, eggs, pork and dried beans.

Why is a healthy diet important for my teeth and gums?

A healthy diet is necessary for your body aswell as helping to maintain healthy teeth and gums. When we eat the wrong types of food containing high sugar and acid our teeth become under attack and will eventually show signs of decay. These foods can also attack our gums causing gum disease.

Erosion is caused by acid attacking the teeth which results in the loss of enamel around the surface. This will make your teeth very sensitive to hot and cold food and drinks. It is irreversible so the best way to tackle it is to try and prevent it.

To help prevent erosion you need to limit the amount of acidic food and drink you consume in a day. Try to keep to keep food and drink at regular meal times. Choose drinks that have no added sugar such as milk or water. A small tip is to drink a glass of milk or eat a small piece of cheese after each meal. This will help reduce the acid in your mouth.

It is very important to have excellent oral hygiene through out your orthodontic treatment as the build up of plaque can cause tooth decay and prevent the appliance from working properly.

To help you make the right choice please consult the table below. You should be aiming for foods and drinks with a high PH number and avoiding the ones with low pH.

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