When it comes to caring for your teeth, there are quite a few different things that you keep in mind. While brushing and flossing are important, there are a lot of other factors that you should keep in mind as well. One such topic is calcium. Here is an explanation of why calcium is important for your teeth and how you can maintain healthy levels of calcium:

Why Does Calcium Matter?

As you probably know, calcium makes your bones strong and is a key nutrient for healthy kids. However, the benefits of calcium extend far beyond childhood. As you grow older, your bones will begin to wear down. Calcium can help slow this process, resulting in strong bones that last longer.

Calcium also plays a very important role in the health of your teeth, which isn't particularly surprising given the similarities between bones and teeth.

Therefore, you want to ensure that you have enough calcium for strong teeth. This means that you simultaneously need to watch how much calcium that you consume and how much you lose.

How Can You Increase Your Calcium Intake?

Watching your intake is pretty simple, since there aren't too many foods that actually provide significant amounts of calcium. Your chief source is dairy, but for the lactose-intolerant, you still have quite a few options to choose from.

Green vegetables can be a good source of calcium, but you need to make sure that you are aiming at leafy grains. While lettuce and zucchinis might have other health benefits, they aren't the best sources of calcium. On the other hand, kale and spinach can add a great deal of supplemental calcium to your diet.

If the above options don't sound appealing to you, then you can also try supplement pills. While these pills are great ways to get the vitamins and minerals that you need, you don't want to take too many at once. You might feel like you haven't had enough calcium in your diet lately, but that doesn't mean that you should wolf down a month's worth of calcium in one sitting. It's a much better idea to develop a healthy habit of watching your calcium consumption, so that you can make sure that you meet your goals every day.

How Can You Decrease Your Calcium Loss?

You also want to be on the watch for various foods and drinks that can reduce your body's calcium. In particular, you want to watch out for items that are excessively high in phosphorus, such as meat and chocolate.

Contact a dental professional like Dr. Susan Bracker, DDS for more information.