The warm feel of the bright sun caressing your skin can rejuvenate many people, bringing with it thoughts of beautiful summer skies and fun activities. The smile that often comes naturally at this feeling may also benefit from the sun’s summer presence, since your body reacts to moderate sun exposure by producing vitamin D (often called the sunshine vitamin). Encinitas periodontist, Dr. Kania, lists a few of the ways that summer and the sunshine vitamin can significantly improve your oral health.
What You Should Know About the Sunshine Vitamin
- Vitamin D is essential to your oral health for a number of reasons, one of which is necessary role in your body’s calcium absorption. Aside from strengthening your supportive jawbone, calcium helps keep teeth strong by forming and maintaining tooth enamel. The mineral also helps your muscles and blood vessels work properly, and helps transmit your nerves’ impulses, thereby facilitating good oral health and function.
- The sunshine vitamin can also directly benefit your oral health by assisting calcium in gum tissue and jawbone maintenance. Inflammation is a natural immune response to the bacteria that cause gum disease, but certain germs incite rampant inflammation that causes more damage than it prevents. A healthy supply of calcium and vitamin D can help regulate your immune system’s functions and control destructive inflammation.
- By assisting in your body’s absorption and utilization of calcium, vitamin D can also help prevent the onset of tooth decay. Your tooth enamel, which surrounds and protects your teeth, is made mostly of calcium and phosphate crystals. To remain the strongest substance your body produces, enamel requires a steady supply of essential minerals. Since your body doesn’t produce calcium, it must be introduced through your meals and, through the help of vitamin D, extracted and put to good use.
Keep Your Smile Bright & Healthy with Your Encinitas Periodontist
To learn more about sunshine and your oral health, or for more tips on how to keep your smile bright and healthy this summer, contact Dr. Kania at our Encinitas periodontist’s office by calling (706) 642-0711. Located in the 92024 area, we proudly serve patients from Encinitas, San Diego, Rancho Santa Fe, Del Mar, La Costa, and the neighboring communities.