Medindia » Multimedia » Slideshows » Foods That Stain your Teeth
Oral health is badly neglected by many people. However, some of us want to keep our pearly whites even whiter. Yellow teeth and foul breath overshadow the beauty of your smile. Even if you try very hard, unknowingly a few habits could make your teeth look yellow and unhealthy and cause embarrassment. There are several food items, which you savor for your good health but could, stain your teeth and change the color of your teeth. It is very important for you to know that anything that stains a cloth can stain your teeth! By now you must have counted a few of those kind of food items on your fingertips. So let's go through brief information about such food items, which are not too friendly to your pearly whites.
Drinking tea may be a healthy choice for your mind and body, but is not the right choice for your teeth. Drinking caffeinated drinks like tea stains your teeth enamel and also causes foul smell. The darker your tea is, the worse is the case. Recent studies have shown that caffeinated products have the potential to erode tooth enamel.
Coffee, whether is caffeinated or decaff, stains tooth enamel. The acidic property of coffee wears out the tooth enamel and hence causes teeth yellowing and staining. It also causes your breath to smell foul and bad. Scientific studies show that coffee contains tannic acid, a strong dye that reacts strongly with the teeth proteins and covers the white teeth with a yellow layer. Hence the teeth appear yellow.
Some studies say that wine reduces inflammation and hence is very good for your gums. But then it is made up of dark and red grapes. Red wine stains your teeth. The deep red/purple tannins in the wine will definitely leave behind some stain in the teeth. Rinsing the mouth after drinking wine can help to reduce the stain left on the teeth. According to expert dentists, the acidity of the red wine actually dissolves the teeth in microscopic levels and makes the teeth to accept the pigment of the grapes present in wine.
Deeply colored sauces like soy sauce, tomato sauce and curry sauce are said to stain your teeth. You must have seen how the spaghetti sauce stains the plates and the utensils. It does the same to your teeth when you consume food items made of such sauces. Soy sauces are the dark sauces used to provide taste as well as color to the food. Hence, one should be careful while consuming food items, which contain sauces in them. To prevent the coloring of the teeth by the sauce, you can immediately brush your teeth after eating.
Berries are one of Nature's super foods packed with enormous amounts of anti-oxidants. The intensely packed molecules present in the berries stain your teeth by sticking on the surface of the enamel. That's why your teeth look stained or colored after consuming blackberries, blueberries, blueberry pies, cherries, pomegranates and their juices. But berries like white grapes and white cranberries are less likely to stain your teeth since they contain very less amount of pigments. The acidic content of these fruits can still harm your teeth enamel.
Beets contain very potential stains in them. They can even stain the floor tiles in your kitchen. The juice and soups are even more dangerous since they are in a concentrated form. But brushing your teeth and swirling water in the mouth immediately after consuming food with beet can prevent them from staining your teeth.
Curries are one of the most prominently served dishes in eastern countries. They contain mixture of different spices and condiments. But these spices in your curry can stain your teeth. The sauces and the spices like turmeric and red chili powder stain your teeth by covering the enamel of the teeth with a yellow layer. But among most of the pigmented food items, stains from curries are easiest to remove. Swirling some water in your mouth after consuming the food washes the stains of curries away from your mouth.
The coloring agents and the high acid content in sports drinks harm the tooth enamel and stain the teeth. While exercising, you should limit the use of the sports drink or you can even replace it with water.
Soda and cola are mainly acids. These acids have the potential to eat away your teeth enamel and stain your teeth. When these colas and sodas are consumed along with food, as it is done in parties, they encourage double staining of teeth by the food and the sodas.. The acidity of these drinks is so intense that they are compared with the acidity of battery acids. They contain many additives that add to the erosive property of the cola.
Studies on the effect of sugars and sweets on teeth show that the sugar stuck to the enamel of the teeth invites harmful bacteria in the mouth. These bacteria break down the sugar into acids that erode the tooth enamel. It is always suggested to minimize the consumption of colored candies especially before going to bed.
Apart from preventing the food items that can stain the teeth, it is always healthy for the teeth to munch fresh, green and crunchy vegetables. It helps to keep your teeth clean. Also, it is important to brush regularly twice a day to keep oral-problems away. It is recommended to visit the dentist twice a year to keep track of your oral health.