People discovered a long time ago that vitamins have an effect on healthy smiles — remember sailors on long voyages experiencing scurvy? Sailors lived on dried grains and meats and didn’t have access to the vitamin C in fresh vegetables so they ended up with spongy gums and tooth loss. Keep your smile as healthy as possible by getting these important vitamins:

• Vitamin A helps maintain saliva flow and healthy mucous membranes. Get yours from sweet potatoes, melon, spinach and beef liver.
• Vitamin B-1 fights inflammation and helps keep your gums a healthy pink. Sunflower seeds and many vegetables are good sources.
• Vitamin B-2 prevents those little cracks, or flakes that form at the corners of your mouth. This condition is called cheilosis and milk products, mushrooms and lean beef are good sources of B-2.
• Vitamin B-5 helps with the healing of oral tissues. If you have had recent oral surgery you might want to increase your intake of egg yolks and liver.
• Folic Acid is another B vitamin, B-9, and helps fight yeast growth and the symptoms of chronic gum disease. Beef liver, spinach, greens and asparagus are all full of this nutrient.
• Vitamin C will ensure you don’t get scurvy like those sailors. Actually vitamin C is required for our bodies to make collagen which is necessary for healthy gums. Citrus fruit is full of vitamin C.
• Vitamin D is needed to build strong bones and teeth. While sun exposure causes our bodies to create this vitamin, most people need supplements to ensure a proper level.
• Calcium is another bone and teeth builder. Get yours from low fat dairy products and leafy greens.
• Magnesium goes hand in hand with calcium when it comes to building bones and teeth. Supplements may be needed for magnesium as well.

A good multi-vitamin can make sure that you have all of these essential nutrients but getting as many as possible from a healthy diet is even better.

Please contact Columbus, OH cosmetic dentist Dr. Mark Levy today at 614-476-6696 if you are experiencing gum disease or especially if you have lost a tooth that needs to be replaced. You may not have suffered from scurvy but any missing tooth should be replaced as soon as possible.