We all want to maintain a dazzling white smile, but the cards are often stacked against us. Many of the foods and drinks we enjoy every day stain our teeth. Fortunately, if you know what those foods and drinks are, you can take steps to reduce their effects in between your appointments with your cosmetic dentist in Los Angeles.
Top Foods that Stain Your Teeth
These are the most common foods that stain your teeth and tips to keep the stains at bay.
Sauces
Any sauce with a strong dye is likely to cause staining. Tomato sauces and curries are two of the main culprits. Of course, you don’t want to eliminate these from your diet, as they have a lot more health benefits than their white-washed, cheesy alternatives.
Instead, get in the habit of rinsing your mouth out with water after you have eaten. Whenever possible, follow this up by brushing your teeth.
Coffee and Tea
Coffee and tea are both liable to cause staining, especially if you drink them daily. While you can certainly survive without these luxury items, they do bring many of us joy. To balance their negative effects, try drinking cold coffee and tea through a straw to minimize contact with your teeth.
If you prefer your coffee and tea hot, then refrain from swishing it around your mouth before you swallow. Rinsing your mouth and brushing your teeth afterward will decrease the chance of staining.
Fruit and Berries
Fruit and berries are excellent sources of vitamins and natural sugars. Enjoying them through a straw in smoothie form can help to spare your teeth, but that doesn’t mean you have to give up snacking on fruit or berries on their own.
Just make sure you’re rinsing your mouth and brushing your teeth afterward whenever possible.
Soda
If at all possible, you should try to limit your consumption of soda. It has no nutritional value and a lot of negative health side effects when consumed on a regular basis. When you do enjoy your occasional soda, using a straw is a great tool for minimizing contact with your teeth.
Candy
Candy is another staining food that should be enjoyed occasionally in small amounts. Due to the ability of candy to stick to your teeth, you should always try to brush and floss after consuming candy to reduce the risk of damage.
Sports Drinks
Certain sports drinks can be a great tool for serious athletes who need to boost their electrolytes after heavy exercise. For the rest of us, water is really all we need the vast majority of the time.
Given the amount of dyes used in most popular sports drinks, the trade-offs just aren’t worth the potential benefits for the average person. However, if you enjoy the occasional sports drink, just make sure you’re giving your teeth a good cleaning afterward.
Red Wine
Of course, we don’t need red wine either, but it is something that many people enjoy. Whenever you do decide to indulge it is very important that you rinse your mouth out with water before brushing your teeth.
Red wine is highly acidic and capable of temporarily weakening your enamel. Brushing your teeth without neutralizing the acid could actually cause more harm than good. If you rinse thoroughly with water, wait a few minutes, and then brush your teeth you will get the best results.
Dealing with Stains
It is virtually impossible to give up all staining foods, and it wouldn’t be in the best interest of your overall health to do so. Fortunately, getting the occasional teeth whitening in Beverly Hills should be enough to keep your smile sparkling as long as you take some common sense measures in between.
