Which foods can cause teeth staining?

Certain foods and drinks can stain our teeth. Over time those stains become darker and much more visible. The worst offenders are dark coloured drinks and foods with strong colorants in them. The darker the colour the more likely it is to stain.

 

Drinks worst offenders include:

 

• Black Coffee – excessive drinking of coffee will stain your teeth. The darker the coffee, the more likely your teeth will stain.

• Tea – although good for your health of your teeth (a compound in tea called tannins attack bacteria and plaque that cause caries) unfortunately not so good for the colour of your teeth. Like coffee, the darker the tea the worse the stains. This doesn’t mean you have to avoid drinking tea altogether to keep your teeth white, add milk to dilute the colour or change to green tea. Alternatively drink through a straw.

• Red Wine – another drink that’s good for your health and gums but again bad for your teeth. Not only does it stain your teeth the alcohol is acidic and eventually wears away the enamel. Switch to white wine to keep teeth staining at bay, unfortunately the alcohol still has the same effect.

• Coke – although it doesn’t actually stain your teeth it does contribute to tooth staining. Coke makes tooth enamel porous and more likely to stain from other food and drink.

 

To avoid tooth staining try drinking your drinks through a straw. The straw minimises the contact with your teeth allowing the drink to go straight down the back of your throat. Although in some instances drinking through a straw doesn’t look very good (drinking red wine through a straw), overall it’s better for your teeth.

 

Food worst offenders include:

 

• High Pigmented foods such as:

- Beetroot

- Curry

• Balsamic vinegar

• Tomato sauce

 

There are certain foods you can eat that actually protect your teeth such as lettuce and spinach. These form a protective layer over your teeth helping to prevent other foods from staining. Or alternatively rinse your mouth with water after eating highly pigmented foods.

 

Perfect Smile Spa is a cosmetic dentistry clinic situated in Hornchurch Essex near Kent
Call us on 01708 442114 or email: care@perfectsmilespa.co.uk

 

 

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