You’ll often see people taking minerals for a variety of reasons. Sometimes they’ll say it’s just for general health. Other times, it’s specifically for a disease, a condition, a deficiency, or even for regrowth of something. But what about supporting your teeth and gums? What key ingredients help with their strength and healthiness? Below we’ve got the key minerals that help support your dental health and what sorts of foods and drinks contain them. Calcium Well, this is probably the first thing you’ll think of when you consider the health of your teeth. This mineral helps to build bones, so it only makes sense that it can harden your enamel and even strengthen your jawbone (in which your teeth rest). If you want to stock up on calcium and make sure your body is getting enough, make sure to eat your broccoli, all dairy, and get enough salmon each week. Phosphorus Just like calcium, phosphorus helps to build strong teeth and bones. This, more than anything, is a companion to calcium and really helps out your enamel (and can even restore it to a slight degree if yours has been whittled down). Phosphorus is in tons of foods, so you’re likely getting enough just on your regular diet alone. A lot of seafood has plenty of phosphorus in it, such as shrimp, tuna, scallops, and salmon to name a few. As for plant-based foods, soybeans, pumpkin seeds, and lentils all have quite a bit. Finally, pork, beef, and cheese also contain it. I’m pretty sure you’re getting enough phosphorus on the daily with this extensive list. Potassium Just like vitamin D, this allows your bones and teeth to become more dense. It also serves as a way to prevent your blood from becoming too acidic, which may accidentally take too much calcium away from your bones and teeth. Bananas are the big winner here, but there are other types of fruits and veggies like tomatoes, potatoes, avocados, prunes, and even lima beans.
The biggest thing to remember with these vitamins and minerals is that they also help out other parts of your body, so by focusing on your dental health, you’re actually doing the rest of your body a favor too. Whether you’re getting plenty of these through your foods or through vitamin supplements alone, it’s a good idea to allow your body to soak in the ingredients it needs to stay health and keep functioning properly from day to day. Even if you miss your daily needed amount sometimes, you’ll most likely make up for it on another day when you have more than needed. In the end, it’s more like a weekly balance to strive for rather than hitting a specific daily number consistently.
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If you’re like me and haven’t adhered to a great dental routine over the course of your life, it’s not exactly easy to get started on a whim without some sort of discipline, set schedule to make yourself do it, and even the right dental tools that make it easier for you. If I’m being honest with myself, the number one thing that should be a part of my own dental routine is visiting the dentist biannually. Throughout my life, I really haven’t gone that much. I went often when I was a child because my parents decided that for me. But from middle school up through college, I actually didn’t go once. This, I fear, caused a bad habit and did a number on my teeth that I likely won’t be able to fully regain. While I have visited since college, it still has been on an infrequent basis. That alone has kept me out of a good regimen for my dental health, and it doesn’t make it any easier that I don’t have dental insurance currently. Besides all of those things, though, I’ve recently begun getting back into a routine that works for my schedule. And that routine starts with a better diet. Diet alone can help with keeping your teeth in a healthier condition, simply because eating better foods (such as vegetables and leafy greens) can act as self-cleaning agents just by chewing them up. But, I’ve got a few other things that are helping me to remind myself to get on the cleaning routine. Here they are. Flossing sticks These honestly make flossing a lot more easier when you feel like you “don’t have the time.” They work just about as well as regular floss but can make it less time consuming. Now, I’m not saying get through your flossing in one minute, but at the very least, this can get you started on a daily path to flossing that is much needed. Mouthwash Not all people actually have mouthwash next to their toothbrushes or floss, but I’d suggest doing just this. While it’s never a substitute for brushing, if you happen to be in a really big rush to get out the door and aren’t going to stop to brush your teeth, at the very least you can grab a flossing stick and a mouthful of mouthwash and bolt. Once you swish enough, just spit it out somewhere outside and use the flossing stick when you get a chance to steal off to the bathroom whether it’s at work, on a date, or anything else.
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Modesto Maloney
Dental Health Blogger. Traveling Junkie. ArchivesCategories |