Health

Ask the Dentist: Vitamin C essential for health of teeth and gums

A lack of vitamin C is devastating for our bodies, including our mouths, says Lucy Stock of Gentle Dental Care

Vitamin C or ascorbic acid is essential for our health
Vitamin C or ascorbic acid is essential for our health Vitamin C or ascorbic acid is essential for our health

ROSE-COLOURED bruises, bone pain, and swollen muscles, "so acute that the patients winced on the slightest pressure" was the description of people suffering from scurvy during the Great Irish Famine (1845-1852).

Surprisingly scurvy, which is an ascorbic acid deficiency, is making a comeback; NHS statistics show a doubling of cases of malnutrition, scurvy and rickets in England since 2010.

As money is going to be squeezed at every turn due to the cost-of-living crisis, the likelihood that diets are going to become more restricted appears unavoidable.

Vitamin C is essential for maintaining the collagen in our body. Collagen is found in bones, cartilage, ligaments, the eyes, spinal discs, teeth, tendons, gums, blood vessels and our heart valves.

Vitamin C undoubtedly packs a whole-body punch; without it, muscles stop working.

Hippocrates eloquently described the ravages of scurvy in 400BC: "The mouth feels bad; the gums are detached from the teeth; blood runs from the nostrils. Sometimes it develops with ulcerations on the legs; some of these heal, others not, and their colour is black and the skin is thin."

The body goes into steep decline after about five months without enough vitamin C.

The symptoms start off non-specific, with a general feeling of lethargy, depression, and weight loss.

The gums tend to turn red and swell up and no matter how keenly you clean your teeth they remain swollen and angry looking.

Definitely not a good look; however, the body has an amazing capacity to heal and responds quickly when vitamin C is reintroduced.

Fresh fruit and vegetables are great sources of vitamin C. Avoid peeling them and cook for as short a time as possible, as vitamin C is quite a fragile compound when heated.

Potatoes are packed with vitamin C which is one reason why the famine had such a propensity to cause scurvy. Cooked potatoes can lose between 20 per cent and 40 per cent of their vitamin content when boiled, while an additional 10 per cent is lost in peeled potatoes.

If you opt for fizzy vitamin C tablets be mindful of overdoing them as taking them too often can cause teeth to dissolve.