There’s a very common pattern surrounding dental check-ups. Chances are, you were told at your last appointment that you should brush and floss more. If this sounds familiar, don't worry—you're not alone.
Many people don't stick to a low-sugar diet or a strict oral hygiene regimen, and they often report the same experience: Life got busy, they forgot, or they simply couldn't maintain a daily flossing habit.
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7 Tips for Preventing Cavities
While many people will frantically floss or brush before their dental appointment, they know deep down their dentist will likely be able to tell if they keep a regular routine or not. This can be a frustrating situation for both dentist and patient, who will not experience the desired results or the improved dental health that should accompany every dental visit.
But what if dental caries or bleeding gums were controlled by more than just brushing regularly and getting your sugar habit under control? Some people never follow recommendations to brush or cut sugar, and yet they exhibit no dental problems. Meanwhile, there are other people who do brush, floss, and eatwell and still have issues with their teeth.
This may seem like a fluke, but in reality, your diet or nightly dental care routine aren’t the only pieces of the puzzle to achieving great dental health. You should also eat a diet that promotes healthy teeth (and not just a diet low on sugar).
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Vitamin D and Dental Health
Teeth have often been thought of asinanimate objects that need to be kept polished and clean—kind of like a porcelain vase that requires constant superficial maintenance. However, unlike porcelain vases, teeth are a living, functioning part of your body. The way the body manages minerals is guided by calcium balance and the immune system, which are both regulated by vitamin D.
Tooth decay and bleeding gums are the two most common measures of your dental health.Tooth decay is the most common chronic condition in kids.Additionally, bleeding gums are the first sign of gum (periodontal) disease—a chronic inflammatory disorder. Studies show that it's not just a sign of your gum health, but also a sign of your guthealth. Therefore, what goes on in other parts of the body can also impact dental health.
Tooth Decay: Vitamin D and the Dental Immune System
Vitamin D plays a key role in promoting dental health and helping prevent tooth decay and gum disease.
Vitamin D is crucial for building healthy bones, as it allows your digestive system to absorb calcium from your diet. Calcium is the raw material that—with phosphorus—creates the bony structure that makes up tooth enamel. Under your enamel is dentin, which contains live cells that the body uses to protect the all-important blood supply and nerve inside your tooth.
Your dentin contains "guardian" cells that sit at the border of your enamel and release immune factors. They can repair damaged dentin, but only if there’s enough vitamin D present. If your vitamin D levels are low, then your defense system doesn’t have the fuel to protect and repair infected teeth.
Bleeding Gums: Vitamin D, Oral Bacteria, and Inflammation
Oral hygiene is also recommended by your dentist to prevent gingivitis, a condition in which the gums are inflamed and bleed.
Gingivitis isn't just a sign of poor dental health; it is also a sign of an inflamed immune system. Your mouth is an extension of your gut microbiome, where the majority of the immune system is primed. Like the gut, the mouth is an area where constant interaction between microbes and your own immune cells takes place.
Further more, vitamin D plays a role in managing the immune system. It helps control how and which immune cells are formed.
Vitamin D Deficiency
Kids who are vitamin D deficienthave shown to be at higher risk of tooth decay. This relationship is relative to both deficiency and insufficiency. The standard test for vitamin D is blood level measurements of 25(OH)D, with a level below 20 ng/ml considered a deficiency.
Although more studies are needed, ensuring that you are getting adequate amounts of vitamin D may lower your risk.
Manage Your Levels
There are simple lifestyle and dietary changes to keep your vitamin D levels up.
Lifestyle
We know that vitamin D is made in the body when sunlight hits the skin. Therefore, getting up to 30 minutes of natural sunlight per day can be a great source. Remember to keep the face and arms exposed, otherwise your body won’t convert vitamin D. Keep in mind that if you have digestive, immune, or liver issues, they can impact your conversion of vitamin D as well.
Diet
Its important that you have one to two servings of vitamin-D-rich foods per day.
Rich sources of vitamin D3 include:
- Fatty fish
- Organ meats
- Eggs
- Butter, yogurt, and cheese (from pasture raised animals)
Vitamin D Supplements
You may add vitamin D supplements to your regimen, but you should check with a healthcare provider on what supplements to use and if they are necessary. Do not exceed the recommended dosage.
A Word From Verywell
Vitamin D is one of the biggest contributors to your dental health, as it can lower the risk of tooth decay and gum disease. You can manage your vitamin D levels through lifestyle habits and your diet. Remember that eating for healthy teeth is eating for a healthy body. At your next dental or doctor's appointment, make sure to ask about your vitamin D levels.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does vitamin D deficiency affect your teeth?
Vitamin D deficiency or insufficiency can affect both tooth enamel and gum health. Low vitamin D levels in children can affect tooth development, causing teeth to be weaker in adulthood and more prone to cavities or chipping. In adults, low vitamin D status can lead to gingivitis and periodontal disease.
Does vitamin D deficiency cause yellow teeth?
Yes, vitamin D deficiency can show up as yellow teeth. Yellow or brown spots on teeth are a symptom of rickets, a condition caused by chronic low levels of vitamin D.
How do you treat vitamin D deficiency?
Vitamin D is called the sunshine vitamin because your body naturally makes vitamin D when sunlight hits the skin. You can also get vitamin D in your diet by eating fatty fish, organ meats, eggs, and fortified foods such as milk and cereal.
If these measures do not help bring up your vitamin D levels, your doctor may recommend taking vitamin D supplements.
7 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Botelho J, Machado V, Proença L, Delgado AS, Mendes JJ. Vitamin d deficiency and oral health: a comprehensive review.Nutrients. 2020;12(5):1471. doi:10.3390/nu12051471
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Children's oral health.
Byrd KM, Gulati AS. The “gum–gut” axis in inflammatory bowel diseases: a hypothesis-driven review of associations and advances.Front Immunol. 2021;12:620124. doi:10.3389/fimmu.2021.620124
Woo S-M, Lim H-S, Jeong K-Y, Kim S-M, Kim W-J, Jung J-Y. Vitamin D promotes odontogenic differentiation of human dental pulp cells via ERK activation.Mol Cells. 2015;38(7):604-609. doi:10.14348/molcells.2015.2318
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Periodontal disease.
Chhonkar A, Arya V. Comparison of vitamin d level of children with severe early childhood caries and children with no caries.Int J Clin Pediatr Dent. 2018;11(3):199-204. doi:10.5005/jp-journals-10005-1511
National Institutes of Health. Office of Dietary Supplements. Vitamin D fact sheet for health professionals.
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By Steven Lin, DDS
Steven Lin, DDS, is a dentist, TEDx speaker, health educator, and author.
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