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Healthy gums and teeth

Regularly brushing your teeth twice a day, flossing your teeth daily, and maintaining good nutrition with plenty of fruit, vegetables, whole grains and foods high in calcium are essential for healthy gums and teeth.

If your gums are tender, red, swollen or bleed easily when you brush your teeth, or when your gums are receding, you may suffer from periodontal disease. Other sign of periodontal disease are painful gums, continuous bad breath or bad taste, loose teeth or tooth loss, or even pus draining from the gums.

Not all causes of periodontal disease are caused by poor dental hygiene or poor nutrition (especially vitamin and mineral deficiencies), leading to pathogenic bacteria invading deeper periodontal connective tissue, increasing the rate of tooth decay and gum disease. Periodontal disease can also be caused by viral or fungal infections. Furthermore, it is common in smokers. It can also affect people with chronic medical conditions, especially diabetes or cardiovascular disease. For women, oestrogen deficiency after menopause is yet another risk factor.

Finally, gum disease can be the result of the aging process itself. Indeed, Valdez and Berkey (2002) report that more than 86% of elders are affected by moderate to severe recession of the gum leading to exposure of the root of the tooth to decay.

What can you do to maintain a healthy gum or to treat the early stages of periodontal disease?




  1. Brush and floss your teeth regularly.

  2. Eat a diet rich in fruit, vegetables, grains and high in calcium.

  3. Have regular dental checkups and have any plaque removed professionally.

  4. Antioxidants: Antioxidants, such as vitamin C (1000 mg) and vitamin E (400 IU) may be helpful in preventing or treating (early stage) gum disease (Goldie, 2005).

  5. Grapefruit seed extract: Grapefruit seed extract has natural antibiotic qualities. Adding a few drops of it to toothpaste when brushing may be helpful (Momeyer and Schmidt, 2005).

  6. Cranberries (Vaccinium macrocarpon or Vaccinium oxycoccus): Unsweetened cranberry juice or cranberry tablets may also be beneficial (Momeyer and Schmidt, 2005).

    7. Beware of potential adverse reactions. High doses of cranberry juice can result in gastrointestinal discomfort and diarrhoea (Mason, 2008, citing Ulbricht, 2005 and Braun, 2005). It is also unsuitable for patients at risk of kidney stones, because cranberries are high in oxalates (Mason, 2008).
  7. Glutamine: Glutamine can reduce oral-intestinal epithelial membrane permeability.

  8. MedihoneyTM Medical honey has antibacterial properties and has the potential to treat periodontal disease (Molan, 2001).



If you suffer from allergies or any other adverse reactions to any of the products above, please consult with your doctor first.

For more severe symptoms of periodontal disease, see your dentist urgently.

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The information contained on this site is for general informational purposes only. It is not a substitute for expert medical advice, and does not take your medical history or specific circumstances into consideration. Always seek your doctor's advice if you have a medical or health-related condition. While every effort has been made to ensure that the above information was correct at the time of writing; medical knowledge is constantly being reviewed and updated, and the above information may therefore be superseded by additional knowledge.