We only have one set of teeth to live with so we have to take care of them the best we can and unfortunately, our teeth are often prone to stains. Even with consistent twice a year professional dental cleaning from your dentist, that may not be enough to prevent your teeth from becoming stained if you don't cut down or properly care for your teeth after consuming certain foods and drinks.
Let’s start with what causes teeth stains.
Chemical compounds called chromogens give certain foods and drinks their strong color, and these compounds can stain our teeth. Foods and drinks containing a substance called tannin can also make your teeth much more likely to stain. Acids can wear down your teeth, increasing the chances of stains setting in. In general, if something could stain your clothes or your tongue, the chances are it’s also going to stain your teeth.
With that being said, let's delve into some of the foods and drinks you need to cut down on if you want your teeth to look as bright as possible.
1. Sauces
A lot of sauces can have a negative effect on the brightness of your teeth, believe it or not. Sauces that are based on tomatoes, soy, and curries can cause your teeth to retain dark stains over time. If you can’t brush your teeth immediately after eating, to reduce the impact of these sauces on your teeth rinse your mouth with water after you're done to help wash the staining causing food particles away.
2. Specific Drinks
You don't necessarily need to cut every beverage out of your diet in order to prevent your teeth from being stained. But specific drinks like teas, coffees, dark sodas, and red wines are among the top four drinks that cause teeth stains. The reality is that you don't need these drinks. Consider switching out your red wine for white wine and swapping out coffee and dark tea for green tea.
3. Certain Fruits and Berries
We're not saying that you shouldn't eat fruits and berries at all. A lot of them can be good for you and shouldn't be dismissed outright. But the fact is that you can really stain your teeth if you regularly consume pomegranates, blackberries, blueberries, and cherries regularly. You don't have to get rid of them entirely but reducing their presence in your diet can keep your teeth bright and unstained.
3. Beets
As nutritious as beets are, they can seriously stain your teeth. Again, we’re not discouraging the consumption of a healthy food, we just recommend you brush your teeth right after you eat it.
Pro tip: if you pair acidic foods like beets with cheese, it may reduce the amount of acids in your mouth.
How To Keep a Beautiful Smile?
There are plenty of things you can do to combat the staining effects of these foods and drinks. Here’s a short list of tips to get you started:
- With drinks, use a straw as that will lessen the direct contact of the drink with your teeth.
- Eat crunchy, healthy snacks, like almonds, apples, or carrots.
- Don’t hold drinks or foods in your mouth for longer than necessary.
- Brush 2-3 times per day.
- Floss every day, especially after meals.
- Visit your dentist on a regular basis.
Preventing Stains on Your Teeth
As mentioned above, limiting consumption of teeth staining foods and drinks can help keep preserve a white smile. However, it’s important to maintain good dental hygiene as well. Brushing at least twice a day using a high-quality dental gel and flossing regularly helps remove food particles and residue left after eating. Just remember not to brush immediately after eating. The acid in foods can weaken tooth enamel and brushing too soon after eating could cause damage to your teeth. It’s important to wait at least thirty minutes after eating before brushing. Rinsing with water immediately after eating can help remove colorful food from your teeth before they stain.
LIVFRESH Mobile Teeth Whitening System Removes Stains Quickly
Individuals wanting to remove existing stains from their teeth should consider using the LIVFRESH Mobile Teeth Whitening System. Designed for people with sensitive teeth, this new product whitens teeth up to 8 shades lighter when used for as little as 10 minutes per day. The teeth whitening system uses specially designed whitening serums and a blue light mouthpiece to accelerate the whitening process.
Cutting down on these foods and drinks to keep your teeth in great shape can be hard. Fortunately, you can reduce your risk of tooth stains with the help of the LIVFRESH Mobile Teeth Whitening System and LIVFRESH dental gel, which gently removes plaque and tartar from your teeth before it can stain the surface. For more information about LIVFRESH dental gel and how it can help your teeth, contact us today.