Coffee is a key component to most adults’ mornings, but is also one of the leading causes of stains on their teeth. While it might not change the appearance of your teeth overnight, over time coffee can leave a yellow tint to your smile.
Here are some helpful tips for avoiding coffee stains on your teeth:
Change how you drink your coffee! Coffee can’t stain your teeth if it never touches your teeth. When you drink from a cup or thermos the coffee has to wash over your teeth, especially the front teeth, before you can swallow it. Drinking coffee with a straw is an excellent way to minimize the exposure of the polyphenols in coffee that stains your teeth.
Add milk to your coffee! Believe it or not, the color of the coffee you drink can impact the intensity of the stains it leaves on your teeth. Since milk is high in protein, the polyphenols in your coffee have something to bind to besides your teeth, and move onto the stomach.
Drink more water! Taking a drink of water between sips of coffee can help wash away any residue that may stain your teeth. If keeping water and coffee on hand is difficult, or you are someone that refills your coffee cup throughout the day, simply swishing some water around your mouth after a cup can help.
Get your teeth professionally cleaned! Brushing and flossing your teeth at home every day is a great way to avoid stains on your teeth, but a good cleaning every six months is also vital in avoiding stains on your teeth.
Drink coffee with less caffeine! While the caffeine content of coffee may be the reason many people drink coffee, the caffeine levels are directly related to the amount of polyphenols, and therefore the amount of stains coffee can leave behind. How you brew your coffee can also affect the amount or intensity of the stains coffee leaves behind. Strongly brewed coffee, such as using a french press, creates a darker color, which leads to more intense stains. This doesn’t mean you have to give up your caffeine fix, you may just want to change the way you make it.
There are lots of home remedies and tricks to avoid coffee stains on your teeth, but the most important “trick” to remember is to simply take care of your teeth! If you have any questions, or are looking for more information, call or text our office today!
