Weeks after spending a fortune on whitening procedures at a dental office, do you still see stains and discoloration on your teeth? You may spent a lot of money to get that immaculate white smile at Dentist’s clinic. However, some of your dietary and daily habits are making that expensive procedure down the drain by staining your teeth quite soon.
Smoking
You really don’t need to qualify as chain smoker to stain your teeth brownish. If you are a regular smoker, nicotine and tar content in the cigarette are good enough to turn your teeth yellowish in a brief period of time. Those who have been smoking for long time may present with unaesthetic brown stains due to tobacco content.
Red Wine
Red Wine contain strong reddish pigments or chromogens which easily stain the teeth. They leave intense red hue on the not so smooth micro surface of the tooth. So if you are a regular wine drinker, it may take away the benefits of in-office bleaching or whitening procedures very quickly. However, if you don’t want to ditch that occasional glass of wine whilst maintaining that sparkling white smile, rinse off your mouth with plain water after drinking. It will help in reducing the staining caused. Make sure you only rinse and not brush your teeth soon after drinking wine.
Tea or Coffee
Tea and coffee contains natural pigments called tannins. They build on the enamel surface, leading to staining of the tooth. Some varieties of black tea stain teeth even more than coffee. The best way to minimize the damage is to drink a cup of water after you tea or coffee cuppa. Also, you may consider to switch the daily dose of tea-coffee with some light green or herbal tea or green coffee.
Fizzy Drinks
Fizzy drinks contain soda which is highly acidic. The acidic nature of the drink promotes the erosion in outermost layer of the tooth surface. As a result, this layer becomes soft and more porous. Hence, the pigments that are responsible for colour of the drink gets lodged on that porous surface. This leads to staining of surface. Also, excessive drinking of soda based drinks causes weakening of outer enamel layer. This can cause increased sensitivity of tooth. It is advisable to minimize the intake of fizzy drinks. When if it is necessary, do use a straw to drink.
Tomato Ketchup
Tomato Ketchup is one of the most pigmented and acidic processed food. Owing to the high content of Tomatoes- that are naturally acidic and pigmented, they also contain a plethora of acidic preservatives and other colouring agents. Acidic causes weakening of tooth surface whereas pigments easily stain that weakened tooth.
Beetroot
Beetroot contains a strong natural pigment known as betanin pigments, which are bright bluish red to blue-violet in shade. These pigments are so strong that they are often used in food industry as colouring agents. They leave a hue on your teeth in no time if you like to much on beetroot. Consider swishing your mouth with plain water after having your fav beetroot salad.
