Essential Vitamins and Minerals That Your Child Needs for a Healthy Smile

Although highly significant, what goes on inside the body can be just as important as what goes on outside.

Practicing good oral habits is a must to establishing oral health for your child both for the here and now and for the future. Although parents often realize the importance of brushing and flossing to their child’s teeth, some fail to give much thought to how their diet affects their child’s dental health.

Lacking essential vitamins and minerals can lead to problems down the road.

Vitamin A

Vitamin A is an excellent vitamin for many bodily processes. When it comes to oral health, Vitamin A is needed for saliva production. Saliva is what keeps your child’s mouth clean and helps to wash away acid while keeping the mouth moist.

Vitamin A also helps to produce healthy mucus that coats the gums and cheeks, making them less vulnerable to disease and infection. Foods like sweet potatoes, eggs, and carrots are an excellent source of Vitamin A.

Calcium

Calcium is one of the most abundant minerals in the body. It is essential to building healthy teeth and bones. Calcium is found in dairy products like yogurt, cheese, and milk. When your child eats cheese, he or she gets an extra benefit because it contains a protein named casein, which aids in the production of the tooth’s enamel.

Vitamin C

Found in citrus fruits like grapefruit, oranges and lemons, Vitamin C aids in the healing process. For oral health, it helps to reduce both infection and inflammation of the gums and helps to heal any mouth sores.

Make food rich in Vitamin C a mainstay in your child’s diet. Vitamin C also helps to increase the production of collagen, which further supports the body’s healing process.

Magnesium

Without magnesium, the body cannot absorb calcium, which is critical for bone and teeth building. Magnesium is most commonly found in whole grains, seeds, beans, leafy vegetables, and nuts.

Vitamin D

Just like with magnesium, without enough Vitamin D is necessary to absorb calcium. Vitamin D signals the intestines to both absorb calcium and to move it around the body to do its work.

If you don’t have enough Vitamin D, your child’s teeth can be limited in growth, which can result in teeth formation that is less dense and less strong than if the body had an adequate supply of calcium. Things like fish, eggs, fortified milk, and dairy products all contain an excellent source of Vitamin D.

If you want to give your child the best chance at excellent dental health, it is essential to consider more than just brushing habits. Although highly significant, what goes on inside the body can be just as important as what goes on outside.

Make sure that your child gets enough of these essential vitamins and minerals to keep their smiles clean, strong, and disease-free for a lifetime.