Did you know that 75% of Australians have at least one cup of coffee daily, and 28% have a massive three cups or more! This number indicates a fundamental truth: Australians love their coffee! In moderate doses, coffee can help give you energy, keep you active, and even extend your life.
However, coffee doesn’t come without side effects. Among those potentially problematic side effects: coffee will stain your teeth. As such, you may need advice on how to stop coffee from staining your teeth. Fortunately, with some lifestyle changes and preventative maintenance, you can do plenty of things.
Why Does Coffee Stain My Teeth?
Coffee stains your teeth because of the tannins in the drink. Tannins are compounds found in many foods and liquids. Tannins create the aromas and flavours that impact taste and smell. Different tannins can have different effects, and there are many different types of tannins.
The tannins in coffee can also permeate the enamel of your teeth via tiny pores. In doing so, they will stain your teeth yellow or brown. Over time, these tannins can build up, causing deeper stains. The presence of tannins helps explain why it is so important you clean your teeth regularly: doing so can ensure the tannins cause minimal damage.
How to Stop Teeth Staining From Coffee
Fortunately, despite the impacts that coffee can have, there are many ways to stop the coffee from staining your teeth. These include the following steps.
Drinking through a straw
Coffee can only damage your teeth if it comes directly in contact with them. Drinking through a straw helps bypass much of the damage that coffee causes. Drinking through a straw can steer the liquid away from your teeth — or at least the most visible teeth in the front of your mouth. Doing so can reduce the damage that coffee can cause.
That’s not to say it will entirely eliminate teeth staining from coffee, as this is very difficult to do. However, drinking coffee through a straw can reduce the damage.
Rinse out your mouth after your morning coffee
Tannins are most damaging when they have time to bind to the enamel and seep into your pores. You can reduce this damage by rinsing your mouth — and preferably brushing — after your morning coffee. Furthermore, rinsing your mouth can remove some of the coffee smell from your breath.
Using mouthwash to wash your teeth is another great way of rinsing your mouth after your morning coffee. You should speak with your dentist about the best mouthwash to use, as some may work better than others. Fortunately, rinsing your mouth with water can still have a positive impact.
Brush those teeth
Brushing your teeth with a dentist-approved toothbrush and toothpaste is ideal. Regular tooth brushing can keep your teeth clean, break down stains, and physically remove tannins that have tried to make a home in your tooth enamel. Sometimes, it may be advisable to use a special whitening toothpaste. However, some whitening toothpastes do more harm than good or fail to protect your teeth adequately.
You may also want to consider brushing your teeth with a very small amount of baking soda, which is known to have whitening properties.
Furthermore, you should replace your toothbrush every three months. Doing so can ensure your toothbrush is always in good condition, and you avoid having too many germs on it.
Always floss
Regular flossing is a great way to remove plaque, stains, and other gunk that builds up in your mouth. Flossing can also remove bacteria, and this can help improve your breath.
The Australian Dental Association recommends that you floss at least once a day. Doing so can improve your teeth and potentially break down stains.
Keep up with your dental visits
Regular dental visits come with cleaning and removal of harmful plaque. This cleaning can remove the worst damage that coffee may have caused your teeth, including the stains that coffee may cause.
Seeing a dentist and engaging in a regular dental hygiene program can ensure that your teeth stay in top shape and that you address any dental problems before they become more problematic. Of course, everyone is different, and some people may want to consider seeing a dentist more often. For most people, a visit to the dentist at least once a year will likely be sufficient. Doing so can help you engage in preventative tooth maintenance, stop problems before they start, and learn how to stop coffee from staining your teeth.
Conclusion
If left untreated, there is no doubt that coffee can stain your teeth. Thankfully, you can learn how to stop teeth staining from coffee by taking the right steps.
Do you need help removing the coffee stains on your teeth? Do you need a top-notch Australian dentist to help you address your dental problems? If so, reach out to Bellevue Hill Dental to book an appointment and learn more about how we can give you a healthy mouth.
