What you do to your teeth is about as important as what you don’t do to them. To keep them white, you must avoid all staining materials. Most of those come from foods that we unwittingly eat everyday and don’t even think about. What goes into your mouth definitely has an effect on the appearance and function of your teeth, even if you have an otherwise rigorous at home oral healthcare routine. Here are 7 foods that you should avoid in order to maintain whiter teeth.
Coffee stains the teeth. This is a sad fact that we all must deal with. Just brushing will not get rid of the stains as the materials that stain actually adhere to the teeth. Tea also has tannins that stain your teeth a dark reddish, brownish colour. Try to limit your intake of these beverages.
The absolute worst thing for your teeth, mouth and health in general is smoking cigarettes. These will dry out your mouth and lead to staining from tar and nicotine, and the benzyls in cigarette smoke will also attack your gums and soft tissues.
Chocolate is not only bad for your teeth because it contains high levels of sugar which create an aggressive oral fauna that attacks teeth and gums and destroys them, but also because chocolate stains teeth. This is awful news, but cheer up! The amount of staining can be limited by rinsing thoroughly after eating chocolate.
Any food basically that is red or a berry can stain your teeth, so raspberries, strawberries and cherries all have some natural dye in them. If you have ever gotten some on a white shirt, it will not be too hard to imagine how that happens. Blueberries also cause the same staining.
All sodas are bad for your teeth because of the high sugar and carbolic acid content (the bubbles in your soda). These waste your enamel away, leaving the nasty cementum visible and darkening the shade of your teeth. Cola is particularly bad because it is dark coloured, and is coloured by burnt caramel, and thus sticks to teeth and discolours them.
Red wine will stain your teeth reddish, purplish. Although red wine is good for other parts of the body, it is no friend of dentition.
Complex carbohydrates are the bread and butter of the bacterial world. They live off of it, it makes them breed like crazy, and gives them plenty enough energy to wreck your teeth. Starchy foods should be avoided, as your enamel will melt off from the resulting bacterial onslaught. If you do eat starch, rinse afterwards. The most important thing, however, is to go and see a dentist every six months for a deep cleaning and a chance to remove stains and other offending food remains. This will keep your teeth healthy and good looking.
