Oral Health Tips

 5 Vitamins and Minerals That Help Maintain Health Teeth and Gums

Calcium: Cheese, fortified juices, leafy green vegetables (including broccoli and kale, but not spinach or Swish chard – they have binders that lessen absorption), milk, sardines with bones, salmon, tofu, and yogurt. 

Phosphorus: Almonds, broccoli, dairy products, eggs, fish, green peas, liver, meat, milk, potatoes, and poultry.

Vitamin A: Beef, cheddar and Swiss cheese, eggs, fortified milk, liver, salmon, shrimp.

Vitamin C: Bell peppers, broccoli, fruits and fruit juices (especially citrus), potatoes, and spinach.

Vitamin D: Fatty fish (helps absorb Calcium), fortified cereals, and fortified milk.

Toothbrush 

Dental professionals recommend using a toothbrush with soft, round bristles that can clean out plaque without damaging your gums. Bristles in medium and hard toothbrushes have sharp, rough, corners that can scratch or puncture the gum tissue allowing germs to enter and create bacteria.

Tongue Scraping

Studies show that bacteria from the mouth can travel into airways and cause complications with chronic lung conditions and respiratory disease. Removing the bacteria may prevent it from entering the bloodstream and promoting blood clots or damaging heart muscle tissue.

Using a toothbrush to scrape your tongue is ineffective and only moves the debris around without removing it.

For an investment of a few dollars at a Dollar Store to $19.95 on the Internet, you can buy a tongue scraper to remove the hard plaque, mineral-leaching acids, and odor-causing bacteria remaining on the tongue after brushing and flossing that can cause tooth decay and bad breath.