Ahhhh, the brisk fall weather has started. For many of us we warm up and charge up with a nice hot cup of coffee in the morning. Then maybe you have another one at lunch for some extra caffeine to get through the work day. Or maybe some tea. Oh and why not? Why don’t we have another at the 3 p.m. slump?
Coffee really hits the spot of course, but it can be really bad for your teeth! Coffee and teeth have tannic acid which is what gives coffee and tea their dark color. The tannic acid can stain the grooves and pits of your teeth enamel and can be hard to remove.
If you aren’t ready to toss your cup o’ joe or iced tea, then what can you do to reduce the effect on your teeth? Here are some tips that can help your smile shine brighter.
1. Rinse with water. After drinking coffee and tea, rinse your mouth out with water to remove some of the tannic acid that is sitting on your teeth. Water can reduce the tannic acid that comes in contact with your teeth, neutralizes the acid and can remove cavity-causing bacteria by 30%!
2. Use a straw. If you are drinking cold tea and coffee, drinking through a straw can help reduce the amount of tannic acid that comes in contact with your front teeth. It will still stain your back teeth, of course, but can help with your front teeth.
3. Wipe it off. If you are really serious about stain reduction, wipe off your teeth with a tissue after drinking coffee and tea.
4. Whiten ’em! Consult your dentist about some teeth whitening options. They can check out your teeth and offer the best solution for you. Luckily, you can even do it in most dentist offices as well. Some stains are easier to remove than other but not everyone is a good candidate with only a 90% success rate. So, your dentist can really steer you in the right direction.
5. Don’t smoke. Smoking compounded with coffee and tea stains are much harder to remove than coffee stains alone. If you try to whiten the grey stains left from years of smoking, you will see results but probably not nearly as much as you’d like.
You don’t have to give up your coffee or tea to keep your pearly whites. If you are ready to check out whitening options, give our Mooresville-Dentist.com to schedule an appointment.