Surefire Ways to Stain Your Teeth
Are you considering a teeth bleaching regimen? Maybe you just completed your teeth whitening treatment at our Newport Beach office. Wherever you’re at on your journey against fighting tooth stain, you want your smile to stay as bright as possible for as long as you can. But if you’re not careful there are actually things you might be doing that either counteract your whitening investment or add to the stain that’s already there.
Here are some of the biggest mistakes you can make when it comes to eliminating tooth stain from your smile.
Constantly Exposing Them to Dark Foods and Liquids
Any meal or beverage that would stain a white t-shirt can potentially also lead to tooth stain. What are the top offenders? Things like
- Coffee
- Tea
- Green tea
- Red wine
- Soda
- Sports drinks
- Curry
- Tomato-based sauces
The more regularly you consume these types of foods or drinks, the heavier your tooth stain will tend to be. No, we don’t expect you to cut them completely out of your diet, but you may want to at least minimize how often you have them or take steps to limit contact time with your teeth.
What do we mean by limiting contact time? Rinsing your mouth out with water right after you eat, or making a point to brush your teeth as soon as you can. Or if you’re drinking something like tea or soda, use a straw. The straw (reusable, of course!) will limit the contact with your top front teeth to help you cut back on the cumulative effects of tooth stain.
Using Tobacco Products or Inhalants
Anything that you’re inhaling for recreational or medicinal purposes has the potential to discolor your teeth. That includes cigarettes, cigars, vaping solutions, and similar types of products. Each time you inhale those vapors, small stain particles tend to accumulate heaviest behind your upper front teeth. But you’ll also see the stain on other areas throughout your mouth.
Not Brushing or Flossing Correctly
It’s natural for food particles to accumulate on your teeth throughout the day. That’s why it’s so important to brush and floss. But if you’re rushing through your brushing routine, all of the plaque bacteria on your teeth will tend to start sticking along the gumlines and the curved contact points between your teeth. In as little as 24 hours, those plaque particles can calcify into tartar.
Tartar tends to be yellow, brown, or black in color. Unfortunately, you can’t clean it off with a toothbrush or floss. The only way to avoid the tenacious stain on your teeth is to prevent it from calcifying there in the first place.
Fortunately, you can easily prevent these areas of stain by taking a little extra time to brush your teeth and floss every day. An electric toothbrush can also be helpful, since it’s making hundreds of extra brushing motions on each tooth. And when you’re flossing, be sure to curve the strand around each tooth and rub up and down the side several times. Those particles of plaque are there whether you can see them yet or not.
Teeth Bleaching No-Nos
One of the worst things you can do if you’re completing a teeth whitening regimen is to drink or eat dark foods or liquids within 24 hours of using a whitening gel. Since your teeth are more porous at that time, it makes it even easier for them to soak up stain.
It might sound counteractive, but it’s important to let the teeth whitening gel do its job before you go back to your normal cup of coffee (or three) each day. If you don’t wait, those stain particles can go straight back into your enamel and make the tooth stain even worse.
An Acidic Diet
Are you one of those people who loves to suck on lemons or is always drinking lemon water? Although our teeth are made to withstand acid here and there, they can’t take it at high concentrations on a recurring basis. So, whether you’re sucking on lemons every week or have untreated acid reflux disease, those acids can physically erode your enamel. Once that happens, the underlying — and darker colored — layer of tooth called “dentin” is exposed. Unfortunately, dentin isn’t something you can whiten into a lighter color; you’re actually making your teeth darker when those factors come into play.
Best Way to Whiten Your Teeth
When you want dazzling white teeth, the best teeth bleaching experience will come by working with a cosmetic dentist. The Center For Restorative & Cosmetic Dentistry offers professional teeth whitening tailored to the individual. Safely lifting the tooth stain will leave your smile looking healthier and more youthful than it has in years.
Discover the safest, most effective way to erase tooth stain. Call our Newport Beach cosmetic dentist today for an appointment!
About Dr. Yazdan
