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Top 5 Vitamins for Strong Teeth and Why They’re Important/

There’s a common cliche that goes like “You better take care of your teeth: they’re the only ones you’ll get!”. And like most cliches, we have heard them a thousand times but still remain to be true. Though we can use some restorative dentistry procedures to help fix or replace our teeth, we have to make the best use out of the ones that we are born with. And taking care of your teeth requires much more than just brushing, flossing, and using mouthwash. Taking care of your teeth requires proper diet and nutrition. Today, we are going to focus on the best vitamins that you can use to help strengthen your teeth.

1. Calcium

You probably could have guessed that Calcium would rank as the most important vitamin or mineral for your teeth. You might know that calcium is great for your bones. And, it turns out, calcium is also great for your teeth. Calcium is essential to strengthening our bones and teeth. In order to get some calcium in your diet, you can have some milk, cheese, yogurt, broccoli, collards, kale, almonds, salmon, and even canned sardines.

2. Phosphorus

Phosphorus is essential to keeping healthy teeth. Phosphorus works by helping the body absorb and use calcium, which then helps improve tooth enamel. As you’ll continue to see, all of these minerals and vitamins are interconnected and interdependent. Calcium has some pretty obvious food sources - but how can you get phosphorus into your diet? Meat, milk, whole grains, fish, and eggs are all great sources of phosphorus. A good rule of thumb is that anything with protein will have phosphorus in it.

3. Vitamin D

Vitamin D is simply essential to our health, and that also includes our dental health. Some recent studies have shown that a Vitamin D deficiency can lead to gingivitis, gum disease, and cavities. We all know that we get Vitamin D from the sun, but in these dark winter days, we don’t see much sunlight. Thankfully, there are easy to take Vitamin D supplements. Any oily fish will work well too.

4. Vitamin C

Vitamin C is great for your dental health. Not only will Vitamin C help out your teeth, but it will also improve the health of your gums. Vitamin C will help strengthen all of the connective tissues in your mouth and gums. A Vitamin C deficiency can lead to weaker gums that often bleed. Vitamin C is pretty easy to get into your diet, as it is prevalent in many different food groups - like fruits and vegetables.

5. Vitamin A

Vitamin A is great for your eyes, skin, and, believe it or not, your saliva. Why is it important to have healthy saliva? A lot of digestion occurs in the mouth, and healthy saliva is essential in breaking down the food in that early process of digestion. Anything that is orange has some Vitamin A - sweet potatoes, oranges, carrots, and even egg yolks are all great sources of Vitamin A.