If you’re missing one or more of your teeth, you know how difficult it can be to complete daily tasks, like eating, speaking clearly, and smiling with confidence. The good news is that dental implants can replace the entirety of your missing teeth, therefore restoring the appearance and function of your smile. Dental implants have an incredible success rate of over 95%, but they aren’t completely indestructible. Read on to learn about how vitamin D plays a role in the success of your dental implants.
Why Is Vitamin D Necessary for Dental Implants?
Vitamin D is crucial for the health of bones and teeth. Ultimately, vitamin D helps your body to regulate the amount of phosphate and calcium in the body. Calcium is a mineral that is known to keep your bones and teeth strong and healthy. Without vitamin D, you would be suffering from an extreme calcium deficiency, therefore leading you to experience several problems for your dental health, like tooth decay and gum disease. When you have these issues, it is much less likely that you will end up with successful dental implants. Calcium deficiency doesn’t just affect your smile either. It’s linked to many other serious issues in the body, like depression, osteoporosis, muscle weakness, and cancer.
How Do You Get Enough Vitamin D?
The best way to get vitamin D is by absorbing it from the sun. By spending enough time outside, you can see a significant change in the amount of vitamin D and calcium your body has. The amount of time required for a sufficient amount of vitamin D absorption varies for each person. This is because humans have a wide array of skin tones that absorb the sun’s rays at a different pace. People who have darker skin tones have more melanin. This helps to protect the skin from overexposure. Ultimately, people with darker complexions require anywhere from 30 minutes to several hours more than Caucasians, who only need about 10 to 30 minutes a few times a week.
How Else Can You Get Vitamin D?
The best way to get vitamin D is from the sun, but you can also absorb it through certain foods. Here are just a few of them:
- Fatty fish and seafood
- Fortified cow’s milk
- Egg yolks
- Portabella mushrooms
- Dietary supplements
Getting the nutrients that you need is essential for the health of your dental implants as well as the rest of your body. By spending enough time in the sun and obtaining vitamin D through other sources,s you can set your implants up for success!
About the Author
Dr. Virginia Gregory is an experienced dentist who has been working in the field for more than three decades! She earned her Doctor of Dental Medicine degree from the Medical University of South Carolina. Currently, she is a proud member of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry, the American Dental Association, and the South Carolina Dental Association. Dr. Gregory also earned a Fellowship with the Academy of General Dentistry after hundreds of hours of continuing education and rigorous testing. To learn more about dental implants or to schedule an appointment at her office in Mt. Pleasant, visit her website or call (843) 884-8884.