Bleeding gums are usually the result of poor oral health. When you don’t brush or floss your teeth regularly, plaque builds up along your gum line. Plaque is a bacteria-based material, and it it's not removed, your gums can become sore and bleed. This can also cause more serious periodontal disease, in which your teeth can loosen. Up to 50 percent of the U.S. population might be affected by periodontal disease, according to “Science Daily.” Research points to indirect and direct effects of vitamin D on gum disease.
Vitamin D and Gum Disease
Vitamin D helps you regulate the amount of calcium in your blood. Calcium is necessary for healthy bones. Researchers have found that vitamin D affects oral health by maintaining the structure of the bones that support your teeth. If you are deficient in this vitamin, you are more likely to suffer from periodontal disease.
Vitamin D also aids your immune system in fighting harmful bacteria and viruses. Scientists have recently found evidence that vitamin D enhances your body’s natural antibiotic effect on bacteria in the mouth, meaning the vitamin might directly protect against gingivitis.
Daily Requirement of Vitamin D
The recommended dietary allowance of vitamin D is 600 IU per day for children and adults, according to the Office of Dietary Supplements. People over 70 need at least 800 IU. Vitamin D can be found in salmon or tuna and other oily fish, eggs, cheese, beef liver, fortified cereals and milk. Your skin synthesizes this vitamin when you are exposed to sunlight. Dermatologists prefer supplemental vitamin D rather than sun exposure to reduce your risk of getting skin cancer.
Some researchers, such as those at the Linus Pauling Institute, say vitamin D deficiency is more widespread than previously thought. Because individuals have varying ability to make efficient use of vitamin D, the institute recommends that an adult get up to 2,000 IU of supplemental vitamin D daily.
Risk Factors for Vitamin D Deficiency
If you don’t get out into the sun very often, you’re more likely to have vitamin D deficiency. You need direct sunlight on your skin because windows filter the type of sunshine you need to synthesize this vitamin. If you’re over 70, you might not go outside as much, plus your skin has more trouble converting sunlight into vitamin D as you age, so you might need to take a supplement to meet your daily requirement. People with darker skin also have trouble synthesizing vitamin D from sunlight.
You might have trouble making use of vitamin D in your daily diet if you are obese or have a condition, such as irritable bowel syndrome, which affects your ability to absorb nutrients.
More Side Effects of Vitamin D
Vitamin D doesn’t just affect your bones and teeth. Because it regulates calcium and phosphorus in your bloodstream, a deficiency can cause muscle pain and weakness. If you remain deficient over a long period of time, you might have increasingly painful muscle cramps or muscle spasms, numbness or even seizures.
While rare, it is possible to get too much vitamin D, which could cause you to have too much calcium in your blood. Vomiting, constipation, weakness, heart rate abnormalities and kidney stones are some possible side effects of vitamin D toxicity.
Many symptoms of both vitamin D deficiency and toxicity can be found in any number of medical conditions, so tell your doctor about vitamin D or any other supplement you take.
References
- Science Daily; "More Evidence Vitamin D Boosts Immune Response"; June 2011
- "Journal of Oral Science"; "Vitamin D and Periodontal Disease"; Y. Amano et al; March 2009
- "Infection and Immunity"; "Vitamin D-Mediated Induction of Innate Immunity in Gingival Epithelial Cells"; Laura McMahon et al.; June 2011
- Office of Dietary Supplements: Vitamin D
- American Academy of Dermatology: Dermatologists Can Help Separate Fact from Fiction for Sun Exposure, Sunscreen and Vitamin D
- Linus Pauling Institute: Vitamin D
- Mayo Clinic; "Vitamin D Toxicity"; Katherine Zeratsky
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