Staining Foods

Sometimes the care we give out teeth is a bit cosmetic. And sometimes the food we are worried about is not the most harmful to our teeth. Last time we worried about soft drinks because of their high sugar content and acidic flavors eroded your teeth enamel. On the other hand, there are plenty of foods that are good for your nutrition, have vitamins and minerals, and do not harm your teeth’s health.

Some of these contain chemicals called chromogens. These are chemicals that can be easily used as dyes. They are colorless but readily react and become bright pigments. On the other hand, if a food is a bright-enough color to stain your clothes or tongue, then it will just do the same to your teeth. Many plant-based foods contain a class of astringent chemical, tannin, that make it easier for sugar, protein, and bacteria to stick to your enamel. And, on the other hand, food does not have to be as acidic as soda to leave teeth porous enough for stains to settle.

Tea and Coffee

Both tea and coffee, especially black, heavily stains teeth. Their high tannin content is what gives them their bitter flavors, after all. Drinking green or herbal teeth or adding milk to buffer their slight acidic qualities can restrain these effects.

Red Wine

A glass of wine is sure to turn your teeth purple for the time being. And partaking regularly will definitely stain them. However, the good news is that it is only cosmetic. Other than sugar content, red wine poses little particular harm to your teeth.

Tomatoes and Tomato-Based Sauce

Your pasta sauce and basil tomato soup have the right acidity and red pigment to pose an orange staining threat for your teeth.

Curry, Soy Sauce, and Balsamic Vinegar

The deep, dark colors, and acidity of curry, acidity, and balsamic vinegar cause deep pigmentations on your teeth.

Fermented foods like sauerkraut, kimchi, and kombucha can damage the enamel of your teeth over time, leaving them more susceptible.

Fruits and Berries

Pomegranates, cherries, and blueberries and blackberries are all vibrant with color. Attractive to our eye and tongue, their colors stay with us longer than we want.

Sugar, Fruit Juice, and Cola

All the foods we talked about last week rapidly chip away at your enamel. This erosion exposes your layer of dentin and the natural yellowish color to your teeth’s tissue.

Foods that Help

As opposed to dark, juicy berries or acidic citrus fruits, fibrous fruits like apples and pears can help clean your teeth. Chewing their fibrous flesh does a little scrubbing. And they boost your saliva production, as well. Strawberries, too, can help with the malic acid they contain. Cheese’s savory, higher pH level buffers acidic foods that break down enamel.

Gentle Dental Care’s teeth whitening is second to none.

While these foods are not going to harm your teeth as badly as others and might even counteract certain problem foods, none are going to function as a long-lasting whitening tool. Last time, we recommended drinking soda with a straw. This tool can also help here, causing these pigments to bypass your teeth. And drinking plenty of water with your food and throughout the day is a good way to keep your mouth rinsed.

But nothing will substitute for the required brushing. Brushing with baking soda is an excellent way to keep your teeth white. And, of course, we have our proven whitening treatments. Check out our locations all over Houston for a long-lasting solution to stained teeth.