You may usually worry about the result of spilling certain foods and drinks on a pristine white table cloth or a new white dress, but also think about the damaging effects they can cause to teeth. Wine, berries and hot beverages like tea and coffee can have long lasting effect on teeth, say experts. The experts at the Luster Pro Light brand have compiled a list of the top five culprits that cause staining to teeth.
As well as the rich dark ruby red colouring of red wine, your usual red plonk also contains tannins which will dry out the mouth making the teeth sticky and worse stains. Even white wine drinkers are not safe! As white wine is clear in colour, it is an unlikely suspect, but unfortunately, the bad news is the acid in white wine allows staining from other foods and drink to penetrate more deeply.
Berries such as blueberries, blackberries, cherries and other brightly coloured fruits can stain teeth. Opt for fruits that don’t stain your hands when handling them. Fruit such as apples, green grapes and bananas are a good start and strawberries naturally whiten teeth, but be careful of the natural acidity in fruit. Acidity in some foods and beverages, including some that are not brightly coloured, promote staining by eroding the dental enamel, temporarily softening teeth and making it easier for chromogens to latch on.
Tea and coffee
Those stubborn brown stains that accumulate on the inside of a coffee mug will give you some ideas of how drinking coffee will stain teeth over time. Coffee stains appear to be even more persistent than tobacco stains, in fact, coffee-stained teeth are more resistant to tooth brushing and more likely to become discoloured again. While teas such as green tea, white tea and herbal tea are less rich in tannins and less likely to discolour your teeth, there is still a drawback as herbal tea has been found to erode dental enamel substantially more than black tea.
There is no escaping it. Those hard-coated sweets and candy that turn your tongue bright colours, will have the same effect on your teeth too.
We all know smoking is bad for our health for many reasons. Well, another one to add to the list of reasons not to smoke, it that it will stain teeth. Due to the nicotine and tar contained in the tobacco, smoking can turn your teeth yellow in a very short period of time. Heavy smokers often complain their teeth are almost brown after a few years of smoking.
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