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Can Coffee, Tea and Red Wine Stain My Teeth?

The answer is yes, it only takes one coffee or red wine a day to cause stained teeth.

We all love a daily coffee, tea or red wine, but do these drinks stain our teeth?

Unfortunately for your coffee, tea or wine drinking habits, the answer is yes but don’t lose all hope just yet, as the staining is largely to the outside of the tooth surface and there’s a few things you can do about it!

How coffee, tea and red wine stains your teeth.

Coffee, tea and red wine contain ingredients called tannins and with our tooth enamel being naturally porous, tannins can cause colour compounds to stick to your teeth in small cracks and ridges, showing coloured/pigmented amounts when we have drink heavily.

However, this type of staining is mostly on the outside of the tooth surface and it should be noted that the overall base colour of teeth is not significantly affected by external staining.

What can you do to prevent teeth staining?

To help reduce staining from teeth, floss and brush twice daily for two minutes. Make sure you also visit your dentist for a twice yearly examination and professional clean.

You can maintain a whiter, healthy smile by also following a few tips:

  • Drink in moderation
  • Consider drinking your coffee through a straw to help reduce contact with the teeth
  • After you’ve finished your tea or coffee, drink plain water to rinse your teeth
  • Avoid / limit the amount of other food and drinks that stain teeth such as berries, colas, icy poles sports drinks and hard candy
  • Consider tooth whitening to improve the colour of your teeth in the long run

To find out more information, please call us on (03) 9048 1026.

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