The Upper Hunt Club Dental Centre has more than 20 years of experience providing cosmetic dental services in Ottawa.
It's pretty clear that everyone wants white teeth. Canadians spends billions of dollars a year on teeth whitening products which generates billions in revenue every year. We are not complaining that people are spending money to have white teeth, but we are sure everyone wonders what stains our teeth in the first place.
Food and drinks stain our teeth in many different ways. Foods that are high in acid tend to strip away enamel, which exposes the more vulnerable dentin to staining. Often foods with natural bright or rich colors contain chromogens which are substances that adhere to tooth enamel causing teeth to stain.
Coffee and Tea: Whether you start your day off with a cup of coffee or tea or drink it occasionally you are staining your teeth. The acids in these drinks can strip enamel off your teeth and leave dark stains behind as well.
Wine: Red wine is a culprit for staining teeth. It is acidic and contains stain-causing chromogens. However, most people don't realize that white wine also stains teeth. It's actually much more acidic, so it strips tooth enamel and leaves your teeth vulnerable to staining from anything else you are eating at the time.
Rich Sauces: Sauces that have a rich color, such as tomato sauces and curries, combine both acidity and stain causing pigments that can darken tooth dentin.
Food Coloring: It's not difficult to understand why foods in high food coloring stain teeth. After all, they have added chemicals whose sole purpose is to turn the food into a bright color. Popsicles and hard candies are big culprits here.
Sugary Drinks: Sports drinks, energy drinks, and soda all contain acids and high amounts of sugar that are damaging to your teeth. They can leave your teeth vulnerable to stains from any food coloring in the drink and cause cavities as well.
Balsamic Vinegar: All vinegars are acidic, but balsamic vinegar combines the acidity with darker coloring that can stain dentin.
Berries: Cranberries, blueberries, and cherries all contain lots of chromogens and can stain your teeth. In general, if a food (or drink) will leave a stain that is tough to remove from fabric, chances are it will stain your teeth as well.
You probably consume some of these foods and drinks on the daily, but we're not saying that you should cut them out of your diet because that's just not practical. However, if you do want to keep your teeth whiter for a longer period of time there are some tips you can follow:
Avoid sugary drinks and highly processed sugary foods. They tend to cause tooth decay as well as stains.
Brush your teeth, rinse your mouth, or even chew sugar-free gum after eating or drinking these trouble foods. It will help remove the stain-causing compounds from your mouth.
You can always use consumer whitening products to reduce stains on your teeth, and in fact we've blogged about them recently! However, if you want to have the best results and whiten your teeth as much as possible, we would love to talk to you and explain the results you can achieve with professional whitening. This service is within the scope of cosmetic dental services offered by Upper Hunt Club Dental Center.
To learn more about how to reduce the risk of stains or to schedule an appointment, call Upper Hunt Club Dental Centre today at 613-733-2703 or book appointment on-line
