Dentists will tell you to be mindful of the food and beverages you consume because they can stain your teeth. Strongly colored food and beverages are the main offenders. If you worry about spilling a certain food or beverage on the white tablecloth, you can be sure that it will stain your teeth. The more intense the color of the food or beverage, the more it will stain your teeth.
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The staining color from food and beverages comes from chromogens, which is composed of strongly pigmented molecules. They have the ability to attach and stain your dental enamel. Chromogens are not the only factor that cause staining; acidity also plays a major role. Even if the food isn’t darkly colored, the acidity can temporarily soften your teeth, making it easier for the chromogens to latch on to the dental enamel. Another food compound called the tannins have the power to boost the ability of the chromogens to latch itself on the enamel. Tannins are typically found in tea.
Food and beverages that stain your teeth
- Red wine is an acidic beverage that contains tannins and chromogens responsible for staining your teeth. Even white wine also has teeth discoloration ability.
- Black tea is rich in tannins and has more staining capacity than a cup of coffee. Ordinary coffee contains more chromogens and less tannins. Green, herbal and white teas have less staining capacity compared to black tea.
- Cola is rich in chromogens and is acidic. It has the power to cause significant staining of your teeth. Other light-colored soft drinks are also acidic and can promote staining of the teeth. Carbonated drinks have comparable acidity to battery acid.
- A recent study has shown that sports drinks also have the capacity to soften the enamel of the teeth and set the stage for staining since these drinks are often high in sugar and have dyes added to them.
- Intensely colored fruits, such as cherries, blueberries, grapes, blackberries, pomegranates and cranberries can stain your teeth. Pies, juices and other food made from these fruit also included.
- Curry, soy sauce, tomato sauce and other intensely colored sauces are known to stain teeth.
- Sweets that include popsicles, hard candies, chewing gum are composed of teeth-staining coloring agents. If you can notice that your tongue turns a funny color when consuming them, chances are that they also can affect the color of your teeth.
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