How Do Vitamin Deficiencies Affect Your Teeth?

Last updated 8 months ago

You may not associate oral health problems with your diet, but vitamin deficiencies actually have a major affect on your mouth and teeth. When you visit your dentist, you might learn that you are not eating enough of certain kinds of food. Vitamins B, K, C, A, and D as well as iron all alter your oral health and can cause severe problems if you don’t consume enough.

Discomfort
Certain vitamin deficiencies can cause discomfort in the mouth. The most common way this happens is through a chronic tingling, burning feeling, or swelling in the mouth or on the tongue. This often indicates a deficiency of Vitamin B or iron. Your dentists can help you learn more about your deficiency and how to improve your oral health.

Sores and Infection
Lacking enough iron in your diet can lead to cold sores, discolored tissue, and infection in the mouth. You can increase your iron intake by eating more lean meat, shellfish, leafy vegetables, beans, and whole grains.

Bleeding
Excessive bleeding of the gums can often be attributed to vitamin deficiencies. Vitamins C and K are the most common deficiencies that affect gum sensitivity. Bleeding of the gums can also be an early sign of gingivitis, also called gum disease, and should be examined by a dentist right away.

Slow Healing
Vitamins A and K are important to your body’s healing abilities. In oral health, these vitamins can lengthen your healing period by affecting soreness, bruising, and excessive bleeding after a dental procedure.

Brittle Bones
Without enough Vitamin D, bones throughout your body are at-risk for easy breaks. In the mouth, this can lead to frequent breaks in the jawbone as well as teeth that are more likely to crack.

If you notice a change in your oral health, talk to your Vancouver dentist about the possibility of a vitamin deficiency in your diet. At Cascade Dental, we believe that educating our patients is the best way to promote good oral health. Talk to our friendly Vancouver dentists today about how you can improve your mouth’s health through your diet by calling (360) 213-1999.