With the ever-growing popularity of coffee, cola, and wine beverages on the market, it’s no wonder most American’s suffer from discoloration and stains on their smile.
Dark beverages aren’t the only culprits to cause imperfections on your teeth, let’s take a look at a few other tasty treats that may disrupt your bright white smile.
Foods and Drinks that Cause Tooth Staining
- Beets
- Soy Sauce
- Tomato Sauce
- Blueberries
- Grape Juice and Cranberry juice- among other dark beverages
Fortunately, there are ways to deter stains from setting in. After consuming your favorite snack, rinse your mouth thoroughly; if you have a sugar free piece of gum handy, this will help too!
Five Methods for Cutting Down on Staining
Aside from gum, there are various methods we recommend in order to keep your mouth healthy and your smile sparkling.
- Avoid Smoking: Not only is smoking bad for your health, cigarettes can cause nasty stains on your chompers.
- Try a Straw: When you’re enjoying a dark beverage, try sipping through a straw. This will keep unnecessary liquids from sloshing around near the surface of your teeth.
- Space it Out with Water: Try drinking water while you are drinking your coffee, tea, cola, wine, or juice. Not only will this boost your water intake, it will rinse off any unwanted residue.
- Follow it Up with a Brush and Floss: After we eat, food particles and bacteria linger in our mouths. It’s best to consider brushing 30 minutes after you consume a meal in order to rid those stubborn germs from latching on to your teeth and forming plaque.
- See a Dentist Every 6 Months: Trust us, your mouth will thank you. Not only will your dentist give you a professional cleaning, but will recommend brushing techniques and monitor your oral health to optimize your smile!
Foods That Help Remove Stains
We covered stain susceptible foods, but there is also a decent list of foods that can aid in the production of saliva- the powerful substance that naturally cleans your mouth and protects your gums from disease!
Let’s take a look at a few of our favorite teeth cleaning foods:
- Water
- Raisins
- Onions
- Shiitake Mushrooms
- Broccoli
- Strawberries
- Cheese
- Apple
- Pineapple
- Carrots
- Celery
Additionally, citrus foods are known for their tooth whitening power! The acid is great for cleaning your smile, however; this liquid can also temporarily soften your enamel, so wait 30 minutes prior to any brushing.
Want to learn more about how you can maintain a healthy, beautiful smile? Visit our whitening page for more tips!