Which Drinks Stain Your Teeth the Most?

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Drinks stains your teeth

Which Drinks Stain Your Teeth the Most?

When it comes to staining your teeth, most people think the main culprits are things like tobacco, medications and food. However, drinks can stain your teeth just as badly. In fact, short of water and milk, most beverages will stain your teeth.

On the list of highly staining drinks there are some worse offenders than others.

Coffee is one of the many culprits when it comes to staining teeth. Heavy coffee drinking will stain your teeth over time to a not so lovely sepia colour.

Tea will also reduce your teeth to the colour of tea all the while eroding the enamel. Tea with fruit additives are also usually high in acid and will also wear the enamel down.

Soft drinks stain the teeth due to their high acidity and it doesn’t matter what colour the drink is (if the drink is light or dark), the acidity will get your teeth. Your dentist will advise that soft drinks should be consumed in moderation for this very reason.

Sports drinks also discolour the teeth and damage the enamel. Although not as high in sugar as soft drink, sports drinks are highly acidic.

Red wine stains your teeth pretty much upon drinking it. Next time you have a glass or bottle of red wine with a friend notice the immediate change in the colour of their teeth.

Surprisingly most people think they are safe with white wine, but white wine also stains your teeth. White wine is even more acidic than red wine and so therefore can cause even more discolouration and damage to your teeth.

The bad news is that the only way to combat these highly staining beverages is to limit your intake and travel everywhere with a toothbrush. It is worth noting that cleaning your teeth more often than twice a day can lead to receding gums and damaging the enamel (so brushing your teeth too often can be more of a problem that a solution).

Water and milk are the only drinks that don’t stain your teeth and are also good for your general health and well being.

General consensus is that if you must drink a lot of teeth staining beverages, consider rinsing your mouth thoroughly afterwards with water to minimise staining, this will give you some benefit, although it won’t stop staining completely.

Dr Alan

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