Do you love the feeling of freshly professionally cleaned teeth? The smooth feeling and shiny look are something to be adored, but unfortunately, they do not last for long. As soon as you start eating, bacteria begins accumulating on your teeth, giving you the unpleasant stains that you just eliminated. The good news is with proper oral health care habits and the avoidance of excessive consumption of certain foods, you can minimize the amount of food stains that your teeth experience. Proper oral hygiene habits simply mean drinking plenty of water with every meal/snack, brushing twice a day, and flossing at least once.
Food and Drinks to Avoid
There are certain foods that stain your teeth when consumed in excess. This does not mean that you cannot consume these foods at all; it just means to keep them to a minimum to avoid stained teeth:
- Tea – Black tea is actually harder on the surface of your teeth than coffee due to the tannins in it. If you are a tea drinker, opt for green or white tea to limit the amount of staining you experience.
- Wine – Red and white wines are both known to stain teeth, even though red wines typically get the bad rap for it. Studies have even shown that people that consume tea and white wine are even more at risk for stains on their teeth.
- Dark colored berries – There are numerous berries that while good for your health with the extraordinary amounts of antioxidants, are hard on your teeth. Blueberries, raspberries, and pomegranates are among the most common reasons for stained teeth.
- Carbonated beverages – Any type of soda, whether dark or light colored can stain your teeth due to the carbonation in these drinks. Experts have equated carbonation with battery acid, so you can imagine what those bubbles are doing to your enamel.
- Candy with large amounts of dye – Candy is never a good choice to consume for good oral health, but those candies with excessive colors (the type that turn your tongue colors) can also stain your teeth if consumed in excessive amounts.
If you do consume any of the above food or drinks, it is important to do it right. The most important tip is to drink a glass of water after consumption of any of these items, taking the time to swish it around your mouth for a few seconds to remove the stain producing ingredients that are on your teeth. Of course, the best course of action is to avoid these foods/drinks all together and to maintain proper oral health habits to keep your pearly whites.
