Many people fail to care for their gums properly. And it comes with a cost. Neglecting your gums can be a very painful and often expensive mistake. Luckily there are some great supplements for gum health we can use and healthy habits to adopt.
Gum (periodontal) disease occurs in 50 percent of people over the age of 55. Even though we all know the importance of regular brushing and flossing, it often takes a little more than the regular routine to truly keep our mouths healthy, in particular our gums.
The mildest and most common form of periodontal disease is gingivitis. This inflammatory condition, which is primarily caused by poor oral hygiene, leads to red, swollen gums that often bleed.
If you have these symptoms, please see your doctor because left untreated, gingivitis can often end in surgery.
How To Improve Gum Health
There are natural ways we can care for our gums and prevent gingivitis. The first is to reduce your sugar intake. Sugar increases plaque formation and feeds the harmful bacteria that dwell in your gums.
Second, flossing, brushing, and using a therapeutic mouthwash at least twice a day will prevent any unnecessary bacteria from accumulating in your gums.
And third, taking the right nutritional supplements can help keep your gums healthy and even reverse gingivitis, often within a short period of less than three months. This could eliminate a very costly surgery.
Let’s go over the best supplements for that.
Supplements For Gum Health
Vitamin C
Vitamin C strengthens gum tissue and enhances your white blood cells’ ability to fight inflammation-promoting microorganisms in your body and mouth.
To restore gum health, take 3,000 mg daily in 3 divided doses for approximately three months.
For regular care, take 1,500 mg of Vitamin C daily. Be aware; if you have high iron levels, you should avoid taking Vitamin C since it increases iron absorption and may cause health complications.
Zinc
Like Vitamin C, zinc improves gum health by enhancing white blood cell activity. Zinc also represses plaque buildup and promotes the healing of bleeding gums.
To treat gingivitis, take 40mg of zinc daily for three months, and for regular care take a daily dose of 20 mg of zinc.
Folic Acid
Folic acid is a type of B vitamin; a deficiency of this vitamin is very common and often increases the risk of gingivitis. To treat gingivitis, take a daily of 1 mg of folic acid along with 500 mcg of Vitamin B-12 for three months.
Bleeding gums can also be improved by taking a 0.1 percent solution of liquid folic acid, which you can get at health stores. Brush your teeth, then take one tablespoon of the liquid folic acid in your mouth and swish it around, do that twice daily for 60 seconds.
For the best results, don’t eat anything for 15 minutes after the mouth rinsing.
To maintain regular care, take 800 mcg of folic acid along with 400 mcg of Vitamin B-12 daily.
Coenzyme Q10
This oddly named antioxidant, also known as ubiquinone, comes from animals and helps different cells in the body function more efficiently. Gum tissue is one of them. It helps strengthen your gums and promotes faster healing if they’re already sick.
For gum disease, take 100 mg of CoQ10 daily for three months.
For regular care take 60 mg.
Conclusion
So as you can see, there are some great natural supplements for gum health, as well as habits, that, if you adopt, will ensure happy gums for a lifetime. As well as heal already sick gums.
Keep in mind, the dosages we gave in this article should still be consulted with a doctor as reactions could be different in every person.
Other than that, we hope you enjoyed! If you’re looking for more natural ways to keep your body healthy, be sure to check out our article about spirulina benefits. The nutrients in spirulina could further aid gum health.