Would you like to have healthier and stronger teeth? Sometimes, you can find the answer in unexpected ways. One of the foods we recommend for tooth and gum health is pumpkin. This food is loaded with teeth-strengthening nutrients – nutrients that will help you preserve your smile. By eating this food, you can realize better dental health.
What Nutrients Do Pumpkins Contain?
Pumpkin contains a number of vitamins and minerals that you simply cannot ignore. These nutrients include vitamin C, which fights off inflammation and infection, and zinc. While vitamin C provides 20% of your daily requirements for this vitamin, zinc takes care of replenishing the gums next to the teeth. Vitamin A is also in pumpkin, and helps maintain the gums. Magnesium works with calcium to strengthen the jaw bone and teeth. Just an ounce of pumpkin seeds gives you 35% of what your body and teeth crave in this mineral. You will also become fortified with iron when you eat pumpkin seeds. Iron serves to keep both the gums and tongue germfree and healthy. Anemia, which results from an iron deficiency, can affect the health of the mouth.
How Do I Add More Pumpkin to My Diet?
While it is easy in the fall to add pumpkin to your diet, you need to find other ways to do so at other times. During these times, you can snack on pumpkin seeds or make a pumpkin smoothie after you work out. You might also want to prepare a pumpkin shrimp curry – an Asian specialty. Whichever way you receive supplementation, your teeth and gums will feel and look better. You can even make pumpkin fudge (without the sugar) and receive additional nutrients. Pumpkin fudge does not contain chocolate, but sure tastes great. We can give you nutritional advice along with sound dental care. Not only does brushing at least twice a day improve dental health, so does eating the right foods and snacks. Make it a point to add pumpkin to your meals and snacks more often. Again, add them any time of the year and don't forget to call our office anytime to schedule a cleaning and exam.
