Healthy Foods That Stain Your Teeth

In your pursuit to maintain a white smile, you probably already know to stay away from coffee, dark-colored sodas, red wine and smoking. But did you know that there are some healthy foods that can battle your tooth whitening efforts too? There are foods that you shouldn’t necessarily avoid since they are good for you, but you may want to take extra steps to make sure they don’t leave their mark after you consume them.

Are these tooth stain offenders in your regular diet?

• Berries – In particular blueberries, pomegranates, blackberries, cherries, cranberries, grapes, and other colored fruits.
• Beets – Particularly potent in juice form, in which they’re the most concentrated.
• Nuts – Black walnuts in particular will stain teeth.
• Sauces – Including soy sauce, curry sauce, tomato sauce, and other deeply colored sauces.
• Tomato Sauce and Ketchup – Tomato based sauces stain your teeth due to their bright red color and high levels of acidity in tomatoes.

It is important to note that the above list of stain causing (yet healthy) foods contribute to external staining on your teeth. Many teeth whitening treatments, either whitening toothpastes or professional teeth whitening procedures, can lighten or eliminate external stains. However, there are steps you can take to prevent the stains in the first place.

Try these tips to prevent extrinsic tooth staining:

• Chew sugarless gum after eating or drinking.
• Drink or swish water after every couple of bites or drinks
• Eat foods that clean your teeth and act as natural teeth whiteners. These include; apples, spinach, broccoli, celery, and strawberries. Cheese, particularly cheddar cheese, counteracts acids in foods, cleaning your teeth and restoring the pH balance in your mouth.
• Wait at least 30 minutes before brushing your teeth after eating acidic or staining foods. This makes your enamel less vulnerable to abrasion.

If you have teeth that are already discolored, be sure to ask your dentist about which tooth whitening treatment is right for you. Gilreath Family Dentistry offers KöR Bleaching System to patients ages 14 and up. This whitening system is safe and reliable with profound whitening results.