Article by:
Amelia Grant
As you are undoubtedly well aware, numerous foods and drinks can discolor your teeth. Some of these foods are well-recognized and obvious. And others can be quite surprising. For instance, if you are not cautious about how much wine you consume, it will ultimately compromise your enamel.
The following foods pose some of the most significant teeth-discoloration risks.
1. Coffee
Your enamel will get stained by coffee, particularly black coffee. On their way to work, many people may clean their teeth, then head out right away to get a cup of coffee. Because of their porosity, your teeth gradually absorb the fluids you put inside your body. Even if you just drink one or two cups of coffee every day, the coffee's dark color can easily harm your smile. A small amount of milk can be added to coffee to lighten its color and give you some much-needed calcium, helping you avoid stains.
2. Tea
Many individuals attempt switching from coffee to tea in the hopes that it will keep their smiles from discoloring. However, depending on which type you choose, tea will still discolor your enamel since it still contains tannins. The likelihood that tea will stain your teeth increases with its darkness. If you simply can't break your tea addiction, go for green or white tea instead of black. Your teeth will likely still become stained by these, just not as badly as with darker ones.
3. Soda
In addition to being exceedingly detrimental to your overall health, soda is also quite harmful for your enamel. It contains dark hues that can stain your teeth and bathes them in artificial sugar and acid, two components that are highly detrimental to your dentin. This is especially true if you consume it daily. While drinking clear or lightly colored sodas may help you prevent discoloration, you won't be able to avoid the acid or sugar. It might be best to simply avoid soda altogether.
4. Dark juices
The main offenders are grape and cranberry juice. Even though the black pigments in these juices are natural, they are still concentrated dark pigments that can seriously discolor your teeth, probably even causing you to require a whitening treatment at a local dentistry clinic. These juices contain acid, which is infamous for discoloring teeth, just like soda. Juices with lighter hues can help you prevent discoloration. Apple juice, in particular, might be useful to drink because of how easily its light-colored liquid can wash away stains resulting from other beverages.
5. Popsicles
Your teeth will also become discolored whenever you have something that stains your lips and tongue. This implies that if you consume a popsicle on a hot day, you will probably end up causing tooth stains. Popsicles come in a wide range of flavors. Anything that is dark in color could discolor your teeth. Plus, most popsicles include both sugar and acids that erode the enamel.
6. Soy sauce
The fact that excessive amounts of soy sauce can discolor enamel may not excite fans of Japanese and Chinese food. Any dark liquid has the potential to be one of the substances that might discolor your teeth, but soy sauce, in particular, may do so because it is so concentrated. Use soy sauce wisely; it contains a lot of salt and is a dark liquid, so cutting back on it may benefit people who have hypertension as well.
7. Balsamic vinegar
While it may be a healthier substitute for ranch dressing in a salad and can enhance the flavor of a number of dishes, like many other items on this list, its dark color increases the risk of teeth discoloration. Balsamic vinegar is acidic, so it will easily stick to your enamel, increasing the likelihood that it may stain your teeth. While having it in a salad can give your body the vitamins you need to function normally, choosing a lighter vinegar might help you avoid discoloration.