Life

Ask the Dentist: It's essential that we eat fat in order to have healthy teeth and bones

Lucy Stock, dentist at Gentle Dental Care in Belfast, reminds us that certain types of fat are essential for healthy teeth and bones

Foods high in unsaturated fats include olive oil, nuts, seeds, and fish
Foods high in unsaturated fats include olive oil, nuts, seeds, and fish Foods high in unsaturated fats include olive oil, nuts, seeds, and fish

FAT has got a bad rep over the years but your teeth and jaw bones actually need fat to be healthy. The amount of micronutrients that we absorb through our gut is determined by what else is present in our bowel at the same time.

Vitamins are divided into two groups; water-soluble (B-and C) and fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E and K). This means that you need to eat fats with the fat soluble vitamins for them to be taken up by the body.

Take Vitamin D, for example, which plays a critical role in the body’s use of calcium and phosphorous. Vitamin D is not just necessary to keep bones strong around your teeth, if you’re deficient in vitamin D you will be more prone to gum disease as it has anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties.

Vitamin D helps bones by increasing the amount of calcium absorbed from the small intestine. But it only works with its bessy mate, Vitamin K2, which activates the protein, osteocalcin, that deposits the calcium into bones while at the same time helpfully reducing calcium from clogging up your arteries.

But this is not a free ticket to reach for the nearest doughnut – there are certain types of fat that the body works better with. Putting unleaded petrol into a diesel car doesn’t work and the body is the same. Unsaturated fats – monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats – are associated with lower disease risk and are better for the body. Foods high in these fats include olive oil, nuts, seeds, and fish.

It’s the trans fats found in fried foods like doughnuts, cakes, pie crusts, biscuits, frozen pizza, cookies, margarines and other spreads that our bodies recognise as unnatural.

Omega 3 fatty acids are also beneficial and studies have linked them to improved gum health. Chia seeds are tiny but pack a powerful punch as they are rich in omega-3 fatty acids.

So, as with many things in the body, vitamin dosing is a balance – not too little and not too much. Vitamin megadosing can be toxic and lead to health problems so speak with a doctor before starting taking supplements as some vitamins can interfere with medications.