Good Nutrition For Healthy Gums

Keeping your gums healthy means preventing the onset of gingivitis and periodontal disease, so your smile stays whole and healthy. In addition to good oral hygiene habits, you should make sure you’re enjoying a healthy diet. In today’s blog, your Encinitas/San Diego, CA, periodontist talks about the importance of adding vitamin K to your diet!

Vitamins C, D, and K

Vitamins C can strengthen your gums and your teeth, limiting the severity of gingivitis and periodontal disease to keep your smile whole. You can find this in oranges, kale, kiwis, peppers, and in supplements. Vitamin D can also help strengthen your smile and limit the risk of periodontitis; the advanced stage of periodontal disease linked to adult tooth loss. Just a few minutes in the sun each day can provide your body with vitamin D! Vitamin K can help stop bleeding gums and a deficiency of it has been shown to increase the risk of poor periodontal health. You can find this in leafy greens like collards, turnips, kale, broccoli, Brussel sprouts, lettuce, cabbage, and spinach. Vitamin K is also a component of canola oil and soybeans. You can also find it in many fortified meal replacement shakes!

Caring for Your Smile

Good nutrients, and a diet low in sugar and starch, helps prevent issues like plaque and tartar buildup, which in turn helps lower the risk of periodontal inflammation and disease. But in addition to a good diet, you also need to care for your smile with daily brushing and flossing. You should brush twice a day for two minutes, and clean along the gum line each time too. Flossing is essential and should happen before bed, so you can remove the particles trapped between the teeth and just beneath the gum line. Be sure you make time to see your general dentist for a checkup and cleaning every six months too, so risk factors for the disease can be caught early to prevent periodontitis and tooth loss.

Warning Signs of Trouble

If you begin to experience sore, red, and bleeding gums, or if you notice receding tissues, then let us know right away! Our team can examine your smile and create a treatment plan to improve the health of your periodontal tissues. If you have any questions about improving your diet or about taking steps to prevent or manage disease that threaten smile stability, then reach out to our team today.

Speak With Your Encinitas/San Diego, CA Periodontist About Improving Your Nutritional Intake

We want to make sure you know how to keep your smile strong and healthy. If you would like to find out more about improving the health of your gums, then please call Dr. Kania’s laser periodontal office in Encinitas/San Diego, CA, at (760) 642-0711.