5 Foods to Avoid for a Whiter Smile
Are you concerned about the color of your teeth? Many adults experience stains and a slow darkening of the teeth over time. This can be caused by the foods you eat. Here at Artistic Touch Dentistry, our Melbourne, Florida dentist wants to help you achieve a brighter, whiter smile that you can feel confident showing off. For that reason, we’ve listed the top five foods and drinks that can stain and dull your pearly whites.
1. Oranges, Lemons, and Grapefruit
Citrus fruits, like oranges, lemons, limes, and grapefruit, can cause a dulling of your teeth. While they contain high levels of vitamin C, which is good for your health, they also contain citric acid, which can wear away your enamel, causing your teeth to appear yellow. We don’t want you to completely eliminate citrus fruits from your diet, but you may want to limit your intake or only eat these fruits when they are in season in order to reduce the risk of damaging your enamel and causing your teeth to have a yellow tint.
2. Tea, Coffee, and Soda
Coffee, tea, and soda have the ability to stain your teeth. Coffee and tea are loaded with acidic polyphenols, called tannins, and these two drinks are acidic. This means that if you drink large quantities, you could see your teeth start to develop stains and discoloration. Sodas and diet sodas contain caramel coloring, which is known to cause stains on the teeth. Thankfully, maintaining your oral hygiene routine by brushing your teeth at least twice a day and flossing once a day can help deter stains, especially if you use an electric toothbrush.
3. Blueberries, Raspberries, and Blackberries
Darkly colored berries can stain your teeth. Berries like raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries, are lauded for their antioxidants and health-boosting effects. It’s good to limit how often you eat them if you want to maintain your bright white smile.
4. Red Wine
Red wine is another drink that is well-known for its antioxidants, but like coffee and tea, it contains tannins, which can dull your teeth. If you drink enough red wine, you may even notice your teeth starting to develop a gray hue. Since red wine does offer some health benefits, you may not want to completely cut it out of your diet, but limit your intake to keep a whiter smile.
5. Dark Chocolate
If you’ve just undergone teeth whitening you’ll want to avoid eating dark chocolate for a couple of weeks after your last treatment. This is because chocolate, especially dark chocolate can dull the teeth. Of course, dark chocolate also contains antioxidants, so you can resume eating it as soon as the high-risk period of teeth staining after your teeth whitening treatment has elapsed.
Keeping A Whiter Smile
If you’ve noticed that your teeth are accumulating stains or appear gray or yellow, our dentist in Melbourne, FL can help you achieve a whiter smile. Getting your teeth cleaned every six months can help remove dark stains and yellowing that is caused by plaque buildup. Not to mention, every teeth cleaning ends with a polish, which helps keep food from sticking to your teeth for a short period of time.
At Artistic Touch Dentistry, we also offer teeth whitening in Melbourne, Florida. Our teeth whitening involves the use of custom dental splints. These splints are specifically made for your teeth. Once they arrive in our office, you will be able to take them home along with a special bleaching agent. The bleaching agent is put into the splints. Then, you wear the splints for a few hours each day. This will help remove any deep stains and correct any yellowing or graying of your teeth. Within just a few weeks, you will have the bright, white smile you desire.
Want us to help you achieve a whiter smile?