Avoid These Beverages That Can Stain your Teeth

What kinds of beverages are the main tooth-staining culprits? In this post, we will take a closer look into the leading offenders that may cause your teeth to lose their brightness and become dull and stained?

Red wine

Acidic beverages such as red wine may roughen and open the pores inside the enamel of the teeth.

As your tooth’s enamel becomes rougher and its surface area increases, it may pave the way for the beverages we drink to transfer and even etch undesirable stains into the surface of the teeth.

This happens while consuming red wine. The acidic nature of red wine may “etch” the enamel and enable the red, dark particles of wine to stick to its surfaces.

Coffee

Coffee may be one of the biggest culprits behind your discolored teeth. This beverage contains tannins, a kind of chemical compound referred to as a polyphenol, that may cause color compounds to adhere to the teeth.

Tea

As with coffee, tea has tannins which may stain the teeth. Here’s the good news: there is an easy way to reduce the tooth-staining abilities of tea. A 2014 study discovered that adding 2% milk to tea may substantially decrease the capability of tea staining teeth. More specifically, scientists found that casein, a milk protein, is capable of aiding in preventing stains caused by tea.

Dark cola

Consistently drinking sugar-laden cola also can cause the teeth to become stained. That is because acidic drinks such as soda may cause erosion of the enamel.

Once enamel gets eroded, it will not only make your tooth or teeth more vulnerable to staining, it will also enable the tooth’s dentin, which is naturally yellower and darker than the tooth’s enamel, to show through.

Sports and energy drinks

According to a 2012 study, both sports drinks and energy drinks are related to the breakdown of enamel, contributing to discoloration. The study also found that energy drinks tend to have greater acidity and enamel dissolution related to them than sports drinks.

Phelps Family Dental can remove years of coffee, soda, or tobacco stains with our smile whitening treatments. Contact us today at (910) 408-0487.