Did you know that the foods and drinks you consume the most also change your teeth’ color and luster? Here are the top food and drink offenders you should think twice about regularly consuming:
-Morning Joe: Coffee is a popular favorite but with its tannins it allows color compounds to adhere to your tooth enamel leaving stains behind over time.
-Daily tea: Tannins are also the staining culprit in tea. The good news is that you can dilute your tea with milk which helps dilute stains thanks to the protein in milk, called casein.
-Red wine: the acid in red wine plays a big part in staining your teeth. Acid roughs up and opens the tooth enamel pores so that the rich red becomes a part of the color of the enamel.
-Sports and energy drinks: While both beverages break down tooth enamel leading to stains, energy drinks are actually more laden with higher levels of acidity than your regular sports drink.
-Dark cola sodas: Both the harmful sugar and acid in these drinks erode tooth enamel, causing stains. It also means the tooth enamel thins, allowing dentin to be visible.
-Bright-colored berries and fruit juices: While good for your body, berries have dark pigmentation that isn’t good for your teeth. Limit consumption of blackberries, blueberries, pomegranates and cherries that get inside the tooth enamel’s pores. Dark-colored juices from these fruits can also stain teeth, along with cranberry, grape and beet juice.
-Your favorite tomato-based sauces: You can love your marinara and pizza sauces but remember they are both acidic and staining. Protect your teeth by rinsing well with water after you eat these. Your teeth will thank you!
-Darkly pigmented additives: If you regularly add soy sauce or balsamic vinegar to salads, keep in mind that the acids can damage tooth enamel and stain teeth.
-Sugary treats and candy: Who doesn’t love a good dessert or treat? But chocolate, hard candy and gummy candies with dye also stain your pearly whites.
Teeth Whitening for the Win
If you need help with tooth stains, our team can help! We offer in-office, teeth whitening treatment with Opalescence Boost™ that has 40% hydrogen peroxide power whitening gel. In only one hour in our dental chair, you can walk out with a brighter, whiter smile!
If you prefer whitening your smile yourself at home, we offer Opalescence custom trays and Opalescence Go™ pre-loaded whitening trays. You can choose your flavor and strength for an enjoyable and effective experience. Opalescence Go whitening preloaded trays are available in 10% or 15% hydrogen peroxide formulations for different wear times and you can get results in less than 15 minutes. Call us today to learn more!