Teeth are a delicate thing, and the porous nature of tooth enamel makes teeth easily prone to staining. The following is a list of foods and drinks that will stain your teeth:
- Wine– Red wine has deep color and contains tannins which have certain health benefits but also stain your teeth. Although white wine does not nearly stain your teeth as much as red wine does, it still has high acidic composition making your teeth more susceptible to staining.
- Tea– The staining power of tea comes from tannins as well as the deep color of many teas. To help prevent staining, aim for a lighter tea, such as green or white.
- Coffee– The dark nature and high acidity of coffee makes it easy for the color to latch onto your teeth.
- Sweets– Things like hard candy and popsicles have a tendency to stain your tongue, which means they are also staining your teeth.
- Fruits and Vegetables– Fruits such as blackberries, blueberries, cranberries, cherries, grapes, and pomegranate are all intensely colored and can stain your teeth. Vegetables such as beets that are rich in color will stain as well.
- Sauces– Deeply colored sauces such as soy sauce, tomato sauce, and curry sauce will significantly stain your teeth.
- Soda– The high acidic content and sugar in soda weakens the tooth enamel and allows for the color of the soda to easily latch on and stain your teeth.
To minimize discoloration, make sure to brush throughout the day. If you are unable to brush after consuming a teeth staining food or beverage, rinse with water to help reduce the staining. To bring your teeth back to their pearly state, contact Galleria Dental Aesthetics at (703) 957-7069 to learn about the services our Virginia cosmetic dentists provide.