Minimize Tooth Staining:
You may not want to cut all tooth staining food and drinks out of your diet. Many of those foods and beverages -- like blueberries, blackberries, and tomato sauce -- are rich in antioxidants. You want these beneficial nutrients in your diet. So keep eating them -- but in moderation -- or substitute other antioxidant sources such as cauliflower, apples, grapefruit, and melon. Here are some helpful hits to keep your white teeth.
Tooth Staining and Berries:
Intensely pigmented molecules stick to dental enamel. That's why blueberries, blackberries, cherries, pomegranates, and other vibrantly colored fruits can stain teeth. Juices and pies made from those fruits can also cause stains. Fruits with less pigmentation -- like white grapes and white cranberries -- are less likely to stain teeth. But these acidic substances can still harm enamel, so be sure to brush and floss.
Wine and White Teeth:
If a food or drink can stain a tablecloth, it has the potential to stain your teeth. Red wine, an acidic drink with intensely pigmented molecules called tannins and chromogens, is notorious for tooth discoloration. White wine is even more acidic and can lead to stains, too.
Sports Drinks and Tooth Staining:
Acidic foods and drinks can also lead to tooth discoloration. Recent research finds that highly acidic drinks -- like sports or energy drinks -- can erode tooth enamel, setting the stage for staining. When exercising, limit the intake of these drinks. Water may be a better choice -- at least for your teeth.
Sauces May Stain Teeth:
They may be delicious, but deeply colored sauces -- like soy sauce, tomato sauce, and curry sauce -- are also believed to have significant tooth staining potential. Consider lighter cream sauces for less damaging options and rinse or brush soon after eating to reduce the potential for teeth stains.
Sports drinks:
In the last decade, sports beverages have become increasingly popular, but they aren't great for your teeth.
Research has found that the pH levels in many sports drinks could lead to tooth erosion due to their high concentration of acidic components, which could wear away at the tooth's enamel.
Additionally, these drinks are often high in sugars that act as "food" for acid-producing bacteria, which then sneak into the cracks and crevices in your teeth, causing cavities and tooth decay.
Use a Straw to Fight Stains:
Try using a straw to sip your favorite drinks -- like sodas, juices, and iced tea. This should keep teeth-staining drinks away from your front teeth and reduce your risk of unsightly stains.
Candy, Sweets, and White Teeth:
If your favorite sweet -- like hard candy, chewing gum, or popsicles -- makes your tongue change colors, it may contain teeth-staining coloring agents. Fortunately, unless you eat those goodies often they probably won't do much to stain your teeth.
Soda, Cola & Other Carbonated Drinks:
The acid and chromogens in these drinks can lead to serious staining of your teeth. Even light-colored sodas contain enough acid that they can encourage staining by other foods and drinks. The acidity in some carbonated drinks is so intense that it actually compares to the acidity in battery acid. Many of these beverages contain flavored additives that add to their erosive effects.
Rinse -- then Brush -- After Eating
Swish your mouth with water right after eating a stain-causing food or drink. For about 30 minutes after you consume something acidic, the enamel on your teeth is especially at risk of abrasion from tooth brushing. So rinse, then brush well after every meal. If you can't get to your toothbrush, chew a piece of sugarless gum as soon as you've eaten.
Tobacco:
Smoking turns your teeth yellow, but it can be much more damaging than that.
Using any form of tobacco can harm your teeth and gums in a number of ways. It can cause throat, lung, and mouth cancer, and even death. Additionally, the tar from tobacco forms a sticky film on teeth, which harbors bacteria that promote acid production and create irritating toxins, both of which cause gum inflammation, tooth decay, and loss.
