You wouldn’t intentionally provide deadly bacteria with a warm place to live, at least not anywhere on or in your body. But that’s exactly what you’re doing if you have gum disease.
You may not have invited them into your mouth to raise a family, but if you’re not doing everything you can to deliver an eviction notice, you’re inviting trouble that goes way beyond losing a tooth or two. Your very life could be at stake.
Back in 2005, researchers in New York City found that the bacteria that cause gum disease are the very same bacteria that play a role in the development of arteriosclerosis, a common form of heart disease.
“This is the most direct evidence yet that gum disease may lead to stroke or cardiovascular disease,” says Möise Desvariux, MD, PhD, assistant professor of epidemiology at Columbia University Medical Center and lead researcher on the study. “And because gum infections are preventable and treatable, taking care of your oral health could very well have a significant impact on your cardiovascular health.”
Now if that’s not a good reason to be religious about brushing and flossing every day, what is? But brushing and flossing are not enough. If you have gum disease, you need to declare all-out war on these bacteria. And nutrients are one of the more important weapons in your arsenal.
Gum disease is an infection, pure and simple. Gingivitis and periodontal disease are actually the same infection. If you have gingivitis, you’re looking at sensitive and bleeding gums, gums that may be swollen and sore to the touch, and that may bleed when you brush your teeth. It’s likely that bad breath is a problem as well. As the disease progresses, gums become even sorer, sores can appear on the gums and in the mouth, and bleeding and bad breath worsen.
The infection, when it gets under way, hides in the dark, warm spaces between the teeth and gums, causing gum tissues to pull away from the teeth. As the infection worsens, the pockets around the teeth get deeper, which can ultimately lead to tooth loss and possibly even loss of some jawbone.
Your dental hygienist measures the progression of the infection—as it worsens or improves—by noting the depth of the pockets between and around your teeth. The deeper the pockets, the worse the infection. As you visit your dentist for regular cleaning, you want to see those numbers get lower and lower.
The fact is, we all have lots and lots of bacteria in our mouths. When you wake up in the morning with a slimy coating on your teeth, that’s actually the result of bacterial growth during the night. You swish with water, you brush your teeth, and many of them get washed away. But enough stay behind to multiply and repopulate your mouth.
It’s precisely those slimy little guys that are responsible for gum disease. If you don’t stay after them all the time, they multiply more and more and more. You get the picture.
So, you brush, you floss, you visit the hygienist for a thorough cleaning more often than you see your mother-in-law. How do diet and nutrients fit into this picture? The quick answer: Big time!
People who study ancient human bones have made some interesting discoveries. Back before agriculture, our hunter-gatherer ancestors had stronger, denser bones and better teeth, says Victor Zeines, DDS, author of Healthy Mouth, Healthy Body: The Natural Dental Program for Total Wellness. Dr. Zeines also has a private dental practice in Shokan, New York, and nutritional counseling for dental health, including gum disease, is very much a part of that practice.
Hunter-gatherers ate about 1,100 different plants, says Dr. Zeines. “Now if you go into a supermarket and see 50, you think you’re in Nirvana,” he says.
Dr. Zeines sees gum disease as “an early warning sign for nutritional deficiency.” He’d like to see people with gum disease—actually, everyone—eating a greater variety of plants. And, if you have gum disease, he says, there are a number of nutritional supplements that can be helpful for healing.
Before we get to individual nutrients, however, there are a few more dietary considerations.
For the best foods and nutrients to deal with gum disease, there are three things to keep in mind, says Jack Fairchild, CCN, a certified clinical nutritionist in private practice with Metabolic and Nutritional Assessment in Kerrville, Texas. He calls these the three I’s—immune system support, inflammation, and infection. We’ll look at each of these separately. (Fairchild is also a member of the Crown Council dental group, serving as nutritional counselor for its nationwide membership, which is composed mainly of dentists.)
Immune system. Supporting the immune system is important because it defends you against microbes, says Fairchild. “Microbes are opportunistic,” he says. “We all have bugs in our mouths.” If your immune system doesn’t keep them under control, they “get a foothold and start their dirty work.”
Inflammation. Gum disease involves inflammation of the gum tissues. The first step in dealing with this aspect of the disease is an anti-inflammatory diet, says Fairchild. And certain foods do stimulate inflammation.
At the top of the list of problematic foods, he says, are any that contain a substance known as arachidonic acid, which triggers inflammation. The worst offenders, he says, are beef and eggs, and people with gum disease may find it helpful to limit their consumption of or avoid these foods altogether.
You already know that sugar is not the best thing for your teeth. Turns out it’s not so good for your gums, either, as it tends to stimulate inflammation, says Fairchild.
Also off the list of acceptable foods, says Fairchild, are any foods that you know you are sensitive to or allergic to, as these can trigger inflammation in your body. These foods vary from individual to individual, but the most likely culprits are milk, wheat, eggs, beef, and peanuts.
Infection. Of course, anything that helps support your immune system will help you deal with infection. But there are other nutritional concerns that relate to infection. One biggie is stress, according to Fairchild. Stress depletes nutrients in many ways, increasing the risk of both infection and inflammation.
Dr. Zeines reiterates the importance of getting the right nutrients to deal with stress. Dentists often see an acute form of gum disease—acute necrotizing ulcerative gingivitis—in college students taking their final exams. Talk about a population with notoriously poor eating habits that is also under stress!
Many of the individual nutrients that we’ll look at here, recommended by either Fairchild or Dr. Zeines, or both, will specifically address the three I’s—infection, inflammation, and immune system support.
Bioflavonoids—there are many—are nutrients that help reduce bleeding and improve tissue integrity, says Fairchild. So bioflavonoids are particularly helpful for dealing with gum disease. He suggests taking a mixed bioflavonoid supplement, anywhere from 1,000 to 3,000 milligrams. Two bioflavonoids are especially helpful—quercetin and rutin. In addition to the mixed supplement, he suggests taking 2,000 to 4,000 milligrams of quercetin and 500 to 1,000 milligrams of rutin.
Boron is a trace mineral that’s important for the health of bones and teeth, says Dr. Zeines. It’s helpful to take 3 milligrams, he says.
If you are deficient in B vitamins, it shows up in your mouth right away. One of the first signs of B-vitamin deficiency, in fact, is the appearance of cracks at the corners of the mouth, says Fairchild. This is quickly followed by bleeding gums. He suggests taking a B-complex supplement that provides 50 to 75 milligrams of each of the main B vitamins. These are often labeled as B-50 supplements.
Calcium helps in the formation of new bone, which is especially important because advanced-stage gum disease can threaten bone as well as teeth. Calcium also helps maintain gum health, according to Dr. Zeines. He suggests taking 400 milligrams of calcium citrate.
Comparing the human body to a car helps us understand how coenzyme Q10 works, says Fairchild. “Coenzyme Q10 is the spark plug of the engine,” he says. “We can have gas in the car, but without a spark, we’re not going anywhere. Across the board, coenzyme Q10 may be one of the most important supplements.” It’s also great for immune function and for fighting infection, he notes.
In addition, a number of studies have shown that coenzyme Q10 is particularly helpful in fighting gum disease.
Fairchild suggests taking 100 to 200 milligrams.
The essential fatty acids in fish oil have wonderful anti-inflammatory properties, says Fairchild. He recommends taking 1,000 to 1,500 milligrams, divided throughout the day. That’s three to five capsules.
Besides being a good antioxidant, lipoic acid actually helps the body deal with all three I’s, says Fairchild. In addition, it helps the body to “remanufacture” coenzyme Q10. That is, instead of coenzyme Q10 getting used up, lipoic acid helps it stick around and get reused. He suggests taking 500 to 1,000 milligrams.
A small 2007 study done in India indicated that the nutrient lycopene shows promise as a therapy to be used along with regular dental treatment for gingivitis. In this study, two groups of people getting treatment for the gum disease were given either 8 milligrams a day of lycopene or a placebo. At the end of just 2 weeks, those who had been receiving the lycopene showed significant reductions in gingivitis compared to those receiving the placebo.
“The results presented in this study,” noted the researchers, “suggest that lycopene shows great promise as a treatment modality in gingivitis.”
The nutrient lycopene is abundant in many fruits and vegetables, including tomatoes, pink grapefruit, and watermelon.
Magnesium helps the body use calcium, and so is helpful for maintaining strong bones and teeth, says Dr. Zeines. You need to get half as much magnesium as calcium. So an appropriate dose, if you’re taking 400 milligrams of calcium, is to get 200 milligrams of magnesium.
People with advanced gum disease have likely taken a lot of antibiotics throughout the course of their treatment, says Fairchild. Antibiotics wipe out all microbes, the good as well as the bad, leaving room for the bad guys to grow as soon as the antibiotics are discontinued.
Taking probiotics—supplements of beneficial forms of bacteria—helps support the immune system in weeding out the bad kinds of bacteria, says Fairchild. He suggests cycling probiotic supplements. That is, take a supplement of one species for a couple of months, then switch to another, then another, every 2 months.
Besides being an antioxidant, the mineral selenium helps support the immune system, says Fairchild. It also helps the body produce glutathione, which may well be the most important antioxidant in the human body, he says. You can’t take a glutathione supplement, because the body won’t absorb much of it, but you can supply your body by giving it the nutrients it needs in order to produce this powerful substance, he explains.
Fairchild suggests taking 200 to 400 micrograms of selenium.
Vitamin A is important because it helps support the immune system, says Dr. Zeines. He suggests taking 5,000 IU.
Vitamin A is also helpful for repairing epithelial cells, a type of cell damaged by gum disease, says Fairchild. He likes to see a higher dose, 10,000 IU or more. He recommends taking vitamin A itself rather than beta-carotene, which is a precursor to vitamin A.
If you have osteoporosis, talk to your doctor before taking a vitamin A supplement, or at least stick to the lower dose. Although vitamin A is important for bone health, a Swedish study done in 2003 reported that men getting higher amounts of vitamin A were more likely to experience hip fractures.
“Vitamin C is very effective for helping the body to heal and helpful for bleeding gums,” says Fairchild. He recommends taking 1 gram three times a day. In some people, this much vitamin C could cause diarrhea. If you experience this problem, back off on the amount.
Vitamin D helps in the formation of bones and teeth, and both are at risk in advanced gum disease, says Dr. Zeines.
This vitamin also “helps to quiet or cool the inflammation,” says Fairchild.
Both experts recommend taking at least 1,000 IU daily.
Vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant. “With inflammation and infection, there’s a tremendous amount of oxidative damage,” says Fairchild. Vitamin E helps reduce that, he says. He suggests taking 400 to 800 IU.
The mineral zinc is an antioxidant and also helps to maintain the proper levels of vitamin E in the blood, says Dr. Zeines. He suggests taking 50 milligrams.
Healthy Mouth, Healthy Body: The Natural Dental Program for Total Wellness by Victor Zeines, DDS
If you have gum disease, you need to brush and floss regularly and also see a dental hygienist for regular cleanings.
Bioflavonoids |
1,000 to 3,000 milligrams of mixed bioflavonoids |
Boron |
3 milligrams |
B vitamins |
Look for a B-50 supplement. Follow the package directions. |
Calcium |
400 milligrams of calcium citrate |
Coenzyme Q10 |
100 to 200 milligrams |
Essential fatty acids |
1,000 to 1,500 milligrams of fish oil, spaced throughout the day (a capsule or two with each meal)* |
Lipoic acid |
500 to 1,000 milligrams |
Lycopene |
8 milligrams |
Magnesium |
200 milligrams |
Probiotics |
Follow package directions. |
Quercetin |
2,000 to 4,000 milligrams |
Rutin |
500 to 1,000 milligrams |
Selenium |
200 to 400 micrograms |
Vitamin A† |
5,000 to 10,000 IU |
Vitamin C |
1 gram, three times a day |
Vitamin D |
1,000 IU |
Vitamin E* |
400 to 800 IU |
Zinc |
50 milligrams |
*Vitamin E has a blood-thinning effect. So does fish oil. If you’re taking any kind of blood-thinning drug, talk to your doctor before taking these supplements.
† If you have osteoporosis or have been told you are at risk for developing the disease, talk to your doctor before taking a vitamin A supplement.