How Poor Nutrition Affects Your Dental Health

Did you know that September 15-19 is Malnutrition Awareness Week? As your family dentist in Kansas City, we think this week is an important time to focus on the vital role that proper nutrition plays in overall health, including dental health.

Most people associate malnutrition with undernourishment or a severe dietary deficiency, but malnutrition can also happen when someone consumes too little or even too much of certain nutrients. This week is an ideal time to discuss how the foods we eat (or don’t eat) regularly can directly affect the health of our teeth and gums and our total health overall.

What is poor nutrition?

Your body needs a certain balance of nutrients to do the many jobs that it does every day. Poor nutrition occurs when your diet doesn’t include all of the nutrients that your body needs, which may happen because you’re eating too little or too much of the wrong kinds of foods. Too many of us eat diets that are high in added sugars and unhealthy fats. These ingredients may give us quick energy or make us feel full, but they don’t provide the nutrients our bodies require. Over time, this imbalance impacts your health in a variety of ways by lowering your energy levels, weakening your immune system, and even impacting your oral health.

Malnutrition differs from simple poor nutrition in that it is usually used to describe the consumption of too little and is often associated with food insecurity. Malnutrition may also occur in individuals who have access to plenty of food but lack the right kinds of nutrients. One way to address malnutrition in the United States is to identify “food deserts.” These are areas where residents lack access to healthy foods.

Anytime you’re not getting enough of the nutrients your body needs, it can have a major impact on your health, including the health of your teeth and gums. Here are a few of the ways that deficiencies in different nutrients can affect your body and your oral health:

Calcium and Vitamin D are important building blocks for bones and teeth. Not getting enough of either may lead to everything from tooth loss to weakened enamel to damage to the bones in your jaw, and that’s just the oral health impacts!

Iron is something that we naturally have in our blood, but an iron deficiency may lead to an increase in canker sores and other problems with your gums, as well as an increased risk for infection.

Vitamin C helps strengthen your immune system so that your body can more successfully fight off infections. This includes infections such as gum disease and bacteria that may be harmful to your teeth.

Vitamin B plays a variety of roles in your overall health. Certain vitamin B deficiencies can lead to oral health concerns including inflammation, cracked lips, oral lesions, and slower healing.

What can you do? A balanced diet that is rich in nutrients is important to every aspect of your health, and your family dentist in Kansas City can always recommend healthy foods that are also good for your teeth! Fortunately, eating a balanced diet isn’t too complicated. Mostly, you should eat plenty of fruits, vegetables, and lean proteins, make sure that you get enough calcium, and drink lots of water while limiting sugary beverages and snacks. A multivitamin or other supplement may also help you get the nutrients you need if dietary restrictions make good nutrition difficult.

As your Kansas City dentist, Blacker Family Dental is dedicated to giving you all the tools you need to take care of your dental health, including making the kinds of good, healthy eating choices that promote overall health. Feel free to give us a call at (816) 763-8400 or click here to schedule an appointment today.