BY: JACK AND LANDRY Mineral Research Project

Our Question What minerals have physical and or chemical effects on your teeth and what do they do to them?

What minerals have effects on your oral health? Some minerals such as Calcium and Iron have positive effects on your oral health, but others such as Chlorine have a bad effect on your overall oral health. Your body needs many minerals to keep your mouth healthy and help prevent erosion of your teeth. Minerals that we found that effect your oral health include. Calcium Iron Niacin (Vitamin B3) Riboflavin (Vitamin B12 and B2) Fluoride Chlorine Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C) calciferol and cholecalciferol (Vitamin D)

Calcium Your teeth are made mostly of calcium. Without enough calcium in your diet, you risk developing gum disease and tooth decay. Calcium is found in many foods and liquids, such as milk, yogurt, cheese, beans, and oysters.

Iron Iron deficiency can cause your tongue to become inflamed, and sores can form inside your mouth. Iron is found in many foods, including liver and red meat. Other iron-rich foods include bran cereals, some nuts, and spices.

Vitamin B3 (niacin) A lack of vitamin B3 can cause bad breath and canker sores in the mouth. To boost your B3 levels, eat chicken and fish.

Vitamins B12 and B2 (riboflavin) You can develop mouth sores when you do not consume enough vitamin B12 and B2. Red meat, chicken, liver, pork, fish, as well as dairy products like milk, yogurt, and cheese are good sources of vitamin B12. Vitamin B2 is found in foods like pasta, bagels, spinach, and almonds.

Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid) Too little vitamin C will lead to bleeding gums and loose teeth. Sweet potatoes, raw red peppers, and oranges are great sources of vitamin C.

Vitamin D (calciferol and cholecalciferol) It is very important to consume enough vitamin D because it helps your body absorb calcium. As we explained earlier, Calcium is very important to your teeth. A diet lacking or low in vitamin D will cause burning mouth syndrome. Symptoms of this condition include a burning mouth sensation, a metallic or bitter taste in the mouth, and dry mouth. Drink milk, and eat egg yolks and fish to increase your vitamin D intake.

Fluoride Fluoride helps prevent tooth decay by making the teeth more resistant to acid attacks from plaque bacteria and sugars in the mouth. In children under 6 years of age, fluoride becomes incorporated into the development of permanent teeth, making it difficult for acids to demineralize the teeth. This is very important because this is a big growing stage of the teeth. Fluoride also helps speed mineralization as well as disrupts acid production in teeth. This process helps to prevent cavities.

Chlorine Tooth sensitivity caused by chlorine is very common. Whether you’re swimming at your community pool, the gym or even at your home, improper maintenance or to much chlorine in the pool can trigger damaging effects on teeth. Swimmers who are in the water for six hours or more per week run the risk of yellow or brown stains forming on their teeth. Antimicrobials found in pool water have a much higher pH than our saliva, which causes the proteins to break down. This then leads to the discoloration of our teeth

Asking A Professional Jack asked his dentist (whom is also his uncle) about some minerals that effect your teeth in a bad way and here is what he said. Smoking is terrible for your teeth. It gives you horrible breath, stains your teeth a yellowish color, creates a lot of plaque on your teeth and increases your risk of gum disease. The tar and ash coming from the cigarette smoke is what causes some of the problems. This consists of sand, clay minerals and bitumen. Chewing on hard things is also bad for your teeth. It breaks down their enamel and if done often can make your teeth very sensitive. The most common hard thing that people chew on is ice. And while ice made in a freezer is technically not a mineral naturally occurring ice is.

Wrap Up Working on this project we learned allot about minerals that effect your oral health in positive and negative ways. In the end our question had gone from effects of fluoridation of water to minerals that effect your oral health. Working on this project we learned allot, but there still is allot more for us to learn about some of the minerals that effect your oral health.

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