Does coffee really discolor teeth? The criterion for its diagnosis is this: any substance that stains the clothes also causes the color of the teeth to change. If you drink coffee every day, you must have experienced coffee stains on your clothes. But the coffee stain on the teeth is not caused by drinking only one cup of coffee, but the effect of coffee on the teeth is shown with the passage of time and frequent consumption of coffee.
The outermost part of the tooth is called enamel and it is the hardest layer of the tooth. But there are dents on it. Coffee contains a substance called tannin, which deposits inside the tooth enamel cavities and leaves a yellow mark in the long run. Just drinking one cup of coffee a day for a long time is enough to change the color of the teeth. But once this discoloration starts, it is very difficult to remove it. It is difficult but not impossible.
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Preventing staining of teeth with coffee
Do you know the easiest way to prevent yellow teeth with coffee? Not drinking coffee. But is it reasonable to erase the face of the problem to solve the problem? Definitely not. So what can be done? There are different ways to prevent coffee stains on the teeth after drinking coffee, some of them are mentioned below:
Brush and floss teeth after drinking coffee. Brushing and flossing the teeth is the easiest way to prevent the deposition of tannin in the cavities of the tooth surface and the formation of stains caused by the deposition of these particles in the corners and edges of the teeth.
Be aware that we have to wait at least half an hour and then brush our teeth. Why not immediately? Because, as we said, coffee is acidic. Eating and drinking any acidic substance softens tooth enamel. If we brush our teeth immediately, the softened tooth enamel will be damaged. But if we wait for half an hour, the effect of the acid will disappear and the enamel will return to its previous state.
If you can’t brush your teeth, rinse your mouth. Rinse your mouth with water when you drink coffee outside and you can’t brush your teeth. This will help remove at least some of the coffee residue from the teeth. Even at home, you can immediately rinse your mouth with water after drinking coffee and brush your teeth after half an hour.
One of the convenient ways to protect teeth from coffee is to use mouthwash instead of water, which can help remove coffee particles from the teeth. In addition, it prevents the growth of bacteria in the mouth.
Add milk to coffee
Milk contains a protein called casein. Casein binds to coffee tannin and takes it to the stomach with it. Therefore, it prevents it from sticking to the teeth and reduces the possibility of staining. Of course, this property exists only in animal milk, and plant milks do not have this property because they do not have casein.
It should also be kept in mind that milk contains sugar and sugar causes plaque on the teeth. Plaque is sticky and causes more absorption of tannin on the teeth. So whether we drink coffee with milk or without milk, it is better to wash our mouth with water and brush our teeth after drinking it.
Drink coffee with a straw
We certainly don’t swish it around in our mouths while drinking coffee. But drinking coffee from a cup or thermos is just like swirling it in your mouth before swallowing. This is like brushing our teeth, especially the front teeth, with coffee. When we drink coffee with a straw, the coffee pigments do not have a chance to contact the teeth. So it cannot change the color of the tooth.
It is true that drinking hot coffee with a straw seems a little unnatural, but by doing this, the coffee does not come into contact with the outer surface of the teeth, especially the front teeth, and does not make the smile ugly. If your goal is to prevent your teeth from getting stained, this is one of the most effective ways. Just be careful not to burn your tongue. If you find it difficult to eat hot coffee with a straw, you can drink cold coffee.
Drink the coffee quickly
Some coffee lovers prefer to taste their coffee or have a cup of coffee next to them while working and sip it. But if you are trying to keep your teeth white and prevent decay and erosion, this is the worst possible thing. Pay attention that the less coffee comes into contact with the teeth, the better. So try to limit your coffee intake to your break time and then rinse your mouth and brush your teeth if you can.
Drink low-caffeine coffee
Definitely, the main reason why we drink coffee every day is its caffeine. But the reason for teeth discoloration is caffeine. Decaffeinated coffees seem to cause less tooth discoloration. Why? Because the more caffeine the coffee has, the more tannin it has, and therefore the possibility of these pigments depositing on the teeth and staining them is higher. Therefore, the less caffeine in coffee, the less likely it is to stain the teeth. Decaffeinated coffee beans are easy to find these days.
The brewing method is also effective in protecting teeth against coffee. For example, coffee brewed in a coffee maker causes less discoloration of teeth than coffee brewed with a French press. The coffee that has the least effect on the teeth is cold brew coffee and the coffee that has the most effect is Turkish coffee. It’s true that cold coffee takes much longer to brew, but it’s worth not staining your teeth.
Let’s drink as much as coffee
Dentists suggest us coffee lovers not to drink more than two glasses of coffee a day.
Chew gum after drinking coffee
Chewing gum increases the secretion of saliva and reduces the acid effect of coffee. After drinking coffee, chew sugar-free gum for at least 20 minutes to protect your teeth from coffee.
Having a beautiful smile requires healthy teeth. So let’s not forget that we should visit the dentist at least twice a year to ensure the health of our teeth.
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Ways to remove coffee stains from teeth
Maybe you didn’t know any of the solutions we mentioned to protect teeth against coffee. Maybe you knew some but it didn’t work for you. With all this, don’t worry if your teeth get stained due to drinking coffee. You can use home remedies to remove stains. For example, you can brush your teeth with baking soda twice a month to protect your teeth from coffee.
The easiest home solution to protect teeth against coffee is to use fruits and vegetables. Consuming crisp fruits and vegetables such as apples, carrots, bell peppers, and celery causes the plaque on the teeth to disappear. These fruits and vegetables also increase the secretion of saliva. Saliva washes away plaque and bacteria and reduces the possibility of tooth yellowing.
You can regularly use toothpaste or whitening strips to remove these stains. Instead of regular toothbrushes, it is better to use an electric toothbrush. These toothbrushes brush the teeth with more power and clean better. The most important thing to be aware of is to brush your teeth twice a day for five minutes each time.
These solutions are not all possible ways. You can get help from your dentist to whiten your teeth. Teeth whitening in dentistry is much more effective and long-lasting than home remedies. The process is very simple. The dentist puts a kind of gel on the tooth and the whitening process is done using light or laser. This method removes even the toughest coffee stains.
Mouth and teeth protection when drinking coffee
All drinks except water can cause the growth of bacteria in the mouth, erosion of teeth and enamel. When we sip coffee, the contact time with the teeth, the chance for bacteria to grow and as a result its erosion is more. This causes the tooth to become thin and brittle and the tooth decays. To reduce the effect of coffee on the teeth, it is better to drink our coffee in a shorter period of time and wash our mouth after drinking to prevent tooth decay.
Coffee can cause bad breath. Because it sticks to the tongue. To avoid it, it is better to eat before drinking coffee so that the coffee does not stay in the lower parts of the tongue. We can also use a tongue scraper after drinking coffee to clean it if there is coffee left on the tongue.
| ⚠️ Pay Attention Please! This article was prepared by an expert. But this is for general information only. Before any action, it is necessary to consult a doctor. Beneficially is not responsible for any damages or losses! |
source:
- https://whitehorsedental.com.au/coffee-doesnt-damage-teeth/
- https://lumino.co.nz/blog/dental-tips/teeth-and-coffee-we-lay-down-the-facts/
- https://www.health.com/is-coffee-bad-for-your-teeth-7488391
- https://driftaway.coffee/avoid-coffee-stains-teeth/
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