Can Not Getting Enough Vitamin D Affect Your Teeth?

May 25, 2011 | By Laura Niedziocha

Without healthy teeth, eating, drinking and even whistling would be difficult to do. Sometimes we take our teeth for granted and may not even think about them when making healthy food choices. Not getting enough vitamin D can affect the health of your teeth by influencing the calcium that is available to keep them healthy.

Composition of Teeth

Teeth are made of four substances: pulp, dentin, enamel and cementum. Dentin is formed when calcium phosphate salts crystallize around a collagen matrix. This creates dentin that gives your teeth rigidity and protection. Calcium is the foundation of the tooth.

Vitamin D and Calcium

The body relies on vitamin D to help with the absorption of calcium. Without vitamin D, your body cannot maintain the health of your teeth. Vitamin D forms the hormone calcitrol. The job of this hormone is to absorb calcium during digestion. Calcitrol also helps prevent lost calcium in the urine. If your intake of vitamin D is inadequate your calcium levels are also affected.

Vitamin D Sources and Recommendations

Vitamin D recommendations vary by age. In the first 12 months of life you should be getting 400 IU of vitamin D per day. Between the ages of 1 and 70, you should be getting 600 IU per day. After 70, the recommendation is to increase to 800 IU per day. Diet cannot provide enough vitamin D alone. Your body can make this vitamin with exposure to sunlight. You should try to get between 5 and 30 minutes of sun exposure at least twice per week.

Calcium Recommendations and Sources

Calcium is found in an abundance of foods including dairy and vegetables. Calcium recommendations vary by age. If you are 50 or under, you need to eat 1,000 mg of calcium per day. For those over 50 years old, the recommendations increase to 1,200 mg per day.