Deficiencies in vitamin C and B vitamins are the most common vitamin deficiencies that can result in swollen gums. If you have swollen gums and you do not eat a very nutritious diet, you may want to consider that a vitamin deficiency could be the problem.
In fact, a recent study revealed that people with low levels of vitamin B12 in their blood were not only more likely to suffer from periodontitis, but were also more likely to experience severe periodontitis symptoms, such as greater gum pocket depth, than those with higher levels of this vitamin.
Vitamin D Deficiency and Periodontitis.
Gum Disease: Children with a vitamin B12 deficiency are often at risk of developing periodontal disease later on in their life, according to various studies. Within these studies, low levels of vitamin B12 are more likely to have periodontal disease than those who have high levels of vitamin B12.
Symptoms of B-12 deficiency can be subtle at first. Early symptoms may include a persistent tingling or prickly feeling in your feet or hands, weakness, numbness, imbalance, and mental problems such as confusion, depression, irritability and forgetfulness. Rarely, vitamin B-12 deficiency is a cause of dementia.
Vitamin C. Vitamin C strengthens your gums and the soft tissue in your mouth. It can protect against gingivitis, the early stage of gum disease, and can prevent your teeth from loosening.
But lower vitamin D levels can cause many dental health issues, including tooth loss, gum inflammation, tooth decay, and more.
An unhealthy balance of bacteria in the mouth has long been known to trigger inflammation in periodontal disease. Studies have suggested that an abnormal immune response also plays a role.
Gingiva become inflamed (gingivitis).
The longer that plaque and tartar remain on your teeth, the more they irritate the gingiva, the part of your gum around the base of your teeth, causing inflammation. In time, your gums become swollen and bleed easily. Tooth decay (dental caries) also may result.
Gingivitis or periodontitis
Gingivitis is the most common cause of swollen gums. If plaque builds up on your gum line and teeth, over time it can become tartar (hardened plaque), which may lead to gingivitis. If left untreated, gingivitis can turn into a more serious infection called periodontal diseases (gum disease).
Viral infections like oral herpes or HIV. Fungal infections like thrush. Vitamin B deficiency. Vitamin C deficiency or scurvy (severe vitamin C deficiency).
In conclusion, gum disease can be reversed depending on the stage it has reached upon diagnosis. Even if the condition has progressed to later stages where irreversible damage has occurred, gum disease can often still be treated and oral health significantly improved.
Vitamin C reduces the inflammation reaction in periodontal disease, and the administration of vitamin C supplements has been shown to improve periodontal conditions (30, 34).
Vitamin D deficiency is connected to increased risk of tooth decay and gum disease in the mouth. Nearly every patient with dental disease, also has vitamin D deficiency. Other symptoms of a vitamin D deficiency in adults include tiredness, aches and pains, and a general sense of not feeling well.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C helps keep the connective tissues in your gums healthy and strong, which hold your teeth in place. Bleeding gums are commonly associated with gingivitis, an early stage of periodontal disease, but may also indicate low vitamin C in your diet, research suggests.
Salt water rinse happens to be the universal medicine for gums' pain! One of the most straightforward and accessible hacks on our list, salt water not only targets the origin of pain but also acts as an antibiotic for gum infection. As a result, it helps reduce the pain and spread of disease.
Tooth decay and gum disease are both caused by the proliferation of bacteria in the oral cavity. Zinc helps the body fight these bacteria. Zinc also stops oral bacteria from releasing so much acid by interfering with their metabolic processes.
Stage 1 is decreased levels of vitamin B12 in the blood. Stage 2 is low concentration of vitamin B12 in the cell and metabolic abnormalities. Stage 3 is increased levels of homocysteine and MMA and decreased DNA synthesis resulting in neuropsychiatric symptoms. Stage 4 is macrocytic anemia.
Some people can develop a vitamin B12 deficiency as a result of not getting enough vitamin B12 from their diet. A diet that includes meat, fish and dairy products usually provides enough vitamin B12, but people who do not regularly eat these foods can become deficient.
Vitamin B12 deficiency anaemia is usually treated with injections of vitamin B12, called hydroxocobalamin. At first, you'll have these injections every other day for 2 weeks or until your symptoms have started improving. Your GP or nurse will give the injections.