As the COVID-19 crisis persists, many of our patients have needed to postpone their dental hygiene appointments to a later date. As a result, we’ve received many inquiries on how patients can continue to care for their dental health at home. The best thing to do for your smile is to maintain a healthy and balanced diet. Here are three essential vitamins and minerals to include in your diet for the sake of your dental health:
Calcium
Calcium helps keep your teeth strong. Additionally, it helps your jawbone maintain its strength as it holds your teeth firmly in place. While adults need calcium in their diets to maintain their dental health, children need it to assist in the development of their dental health. It’s important to offer a calcium-rich diet for your whole family to ensure their dental health. A great high-calcium snack to keep around your home would be cheese. You can buy sliced cheese, cubed cheese, or string cheese to have on hand whenever you need a snack. Cheese is an excellent snack for your smile not only because of its calcium levels but also because it is soft and easy to chew. This makes it much better for your teeth and jawbone than crunchier snacks like potato chips.
Vitamin C
Your body needs Vitamin C to help fight off infections and diseases. Few people know that it directly benefits your dental health as well. Vitamin C helps your mouth fight off gum disease. Gum disease is a common dental concern we see in our office that is the result of harmful bacteria eating away at the soft tissue of your mouth. Vitamin C helps your entire body fight off harmful bacteria. To get your daily dose of Vitamin C, try munching on apple slices throughout the day or make yourself a fruit smoothie. Fruits like kiwis, strawberries, or pineapples are great sources of Vitamin C to include in your smoothies. Pro tip: Include a dollop of yogurt to increase the amount of calcium in your smoothie while also adding creaminess to the overall texture.
Potassium
Potassium helps your blood from becoming too acidic. When your blood is too acidic, this can take away calcium from your bones and teeth. It also has a variety of other health benefits including helping balance your blood pressure and your blood sugar. To ensure you’re getting enough potassium, keep foods like potatoes, tomatoes, or avocados around to include in a daily meal. You can also eat a banana as a snack to get more potassium in your diet.
Schedule An Appointment
Valley Dental Health is a family dentist near Hunt Valley, Maryland. We offer a complete range of general dentistry, cosmetic dentistry and restorative dental treatments. Our diligent staff works with a patient-first mentality to get you in and out so you can get back to your life. We continue to wish everyone health and safety during this crisis.