Keeping up with your oral health doesn’t just include your teeth. It also includes your gums. When they become swollen, that is often an indication that you have gingivitis. This can lead to irritations that may interfere with your life while slowly destroying your smile.
Dentists always recommend that you brush twice daily, floss once per day, and watch out for foods that could put your teeth and gums in danger. Another thing you’ll likely hear from your dental professional is that you should be eating certain foods to give your body the vitamins and minerals it needs.
A healthy diet is good for your entire body, including your mouth. Deficiencies in certain vitamins can make your dental woes worse. If you’re worried about your gums and want to keep them free of gum disease, you should know which vitamins you should be getting.
How Your Food Choices Affect Your Teeth and Gums
Sugary and starchy foods are known to cause issues for your teeth as they can cause tooth decay. When cavities form, your dentist needs to fill them to prevent them from growing larger and leading to even worse issues.
While it’s good to avoid those foods, it’s also important to recognize which foods work from the inside out to nourish your body – particularly your teeth and gums – with the right vitamins and minerals to keep them healthy.
What Vitamin Deficiency Leads to Gum Swelling?
You might be surprised to learn that it isn’t just one kind of vitamin you may be missing in your diet. A lack of these important vitamins can cause a variety of gum ailments, making it important to talk to your dentist and general practitioner about your overall health.
Here is a look at the vitamins that you may not be getting enough of in your diet.
Vitamin A
When you get enough vitamin A, you are protecting your immune system. A deficiency in vitamin A can make it easier for your teeth and gums to become more susceptible to health issues when your immune system is compromised.
Without enough vitamin A, your teeth may be more prone to tooth decay. Meanwhile, your gums may not have the protection they need to stay healthy, causing them to swell.
Vitamin A is found in eggs, spinach, carrots, mango, watermelon, and sweet potatoes.
Vitamin B12
Along with vitamin A, vitamin B12 is crucial for the health of your gums. If you’re not getting enough of this essential vitamin, it may open the door wide for gum disease to take over, causing your gums to become swollen and tender.
In cases of advanced gum disease, your gums will recede, exposing the roots of your teeth. This leaves them more vulnerable to bacteria that can cause more damage to your teeth and gums, resulting in an unsightly smile. Try to include tuna, salmon, trout, eggs, and dairy in your diet to get your dose of vitamin B12.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C is important to keep your immune system strong, and the more foods you eat with this vitamin, the more you’ll be doing to protect yourself. You’ll be strengthening your overall health as well as your teeth and gums. Cantaloupe, kiwi, broccoli, and brussels sprouts are just a few foods that are rich in this essential vitamin.
Other Vitamins and Minerals That Can Benefit Your Smile
While vitamins A, B12, and C are essential for your gum health, there are other important vitamins and minerals your body needs for a beautiful smile. Make sure you eat a well-rounded diet full of nutritious foods that give you these nutrients.
Calcium
Calcium is a vital mineral that helps strengthen tooth enamel, making it less likely to experience decay. Your body stores most of its calcium in your teeth and bones, and when you are not getting enough of it, your teeth can weaken. This can eventually lead to tooth loss as well as loss of bone density in your jaw bone.
A calcium-rich diet includes milk, cheese, leafy greens, yogurt, and almonds. You can also take calcium supplements but you should discuss it with your doctor first.
Phosphorus
Phosphorus is just as important as calcium as it works to harden your tooth enamel by making it easier for your body to absorb. You’ll find it in all kinds of foods that are good for your overall nutrition, such as fish, meat, nuts, legumes, and dairy products.
Vitamin D
Vitamin D is a nutrient that assists your body by making it more capable of absorbing calcium. A deficiency in vitamin D can cause inflammation throughout the body, particularly in the gums. When you have uncontrolled inflammation, it makes it easier for diseases, such as gum disease, to flourish and compromise your health.
Getting more vitamin D in your diet is easy if you put more egg yolks, fortified milk, and fatty fish on your plate. Getting daily exposure to the sun is one of the best ways to get vitamin D into your body but make sure you are protecting your skin with high-SPF sunscreen. You can also use supplements to get vitamin D, but like calcium, you will want to check with your doctor before taking anything.
Vitamin K
Vitamin K helps your body with its heart and bone health. It’s a fat-soluble vitamin that works to keep plaque from forming behind your teeth on the bottom row and in those tricky upper molars. These areas are notoriously more challenging to brush, plus the location of your saliva glands doesn’t expose them to all the cleansing your saliva does.
Additionally, vitamin K helps optimize calcium use and remineralizes teeth. When you’re not getting enough of this vitamin, you may have increased issues with tooth decay and gum disease. Try eating more leafy greens, brussels sprouts, broccoli, kale, cabbage, soybeans, chicken breast, and beef liver.
Tips for Preventing Swollen Gums
No one wants dental problems and if you’ve had them before, you’ll likely want to do everything you can to prevent them from recurring. Here are a few tips you can try to prevent swollen gums before they start.
Eat Right
By now, you’ve noticed the importance of eating for your dental health. Cut down on processed, sugary foods and put more focus on the foods that provide your body with the nourishment it needs.
Drink More Water
Keeping your body properly hydrated can also help your teeth and gums. It keeps your mouth from getting dry, and a dry mouth leads to the breeding of bad bacteria that can cause issues.
Manage Your Stress
When you are constantly stressed, it can put your entire body in danger, including your gums. Find ways to naturally relieve stress from your life, such as meditation, exercise, or yoga. Avoiding the constant boost of cortisol, the stress hormone, may help protect your oral health.
Follow Proper Oral Care Procedures
Speaking of oral health, you should always stay on top of it by brushing. Use a toothpaste recommended by the American Dental Association (ADA) and make sure your toothbrush has soft bristles. Dentists often recommend using an electric toothbrush because it is more efficient at removing plaque and bacteria from your teeth and gum line.
You should brush twice per day at minimum but you may benefit from brushing after lunch. The fresh and clean feeling can also help you avoid caving in to sugary snacks. Along with brushing, make sure you floss once per day. It’s important to clean between your teeth where the toothbrush bristles can’t fully reach. You should ask your dentist to teach you how to properly use dental floss for the best results.
Schedule Your Dental Checkups
Lastly, never put off your dental exams and cleanings. Your dentist will take X-rays to make sure your teeth are healthy and examine your gums. They will also give your teeth a deep clean, leaving you with a fresh and brilliant smile that you’ll love to show off.
Most importantly, visiting your dentist twice per year for checkups allows them to more easily catch any minor dental issues before they become serious and costly. When you put off your dental exams and teeth cleaning, plaque buildup can turn into tartar, which is harder to remove.
This can also lead to infections and swelling in your gums. Avoiding the dentist won’t make these problems disappear. The best course of action is to maintain a healthy smile by visiting your dentist regularly.
Minimize the problems your teeth and gums could have by eating right, following oral care procedures, taking care of your overall health, and seeing the dentist. When you get the right balance of vitamins and minerals that your teeth and gums need to be healthy, your dental visits will most likely be full of good news about the health of your smile.