Dental Guides

5 Ways to Prevent Staining Your Teeth

Stains on your teeth can be unattractive and they can decrease your self confidence. There are a number of things that cause stains on your teeth – including tobacco related products, tea, coffee and any other food that has a reputation of leaving stains. So, what do you do? Many people don’t want to give up their precious delights, like a hot cup of tea or coffee in the morning. Luckily, there are a number of ways to enjoy the things you enjoy and keep your teeth sparkling white. When it comes down to it, beautiful white teeth starts with regular brushing and maintenance. Here are five ways to prevent staining on your teeth.

  1. Brush your teeth right after you eat a meal or consume something that causes stains. You usually have about twenty minutes after you eat before the stains starts to become permanent. What can happen is that your teeth act like a sponge. All those tannins and other particles inside of tobacco smoke and coffee seep into tiny ridges and pores inside the teeth. So, be sure to brush thoroughly and you should be able to stop the stain before it gets worse.
  2. Use a straw when you drink soda or ice coffee. If you can, try and stick with a straw when you are imbibing various liquids. When it comes down to it, liquids stain your teeth when they are continually splashing against your teeth. If you start to notice lots of stains on your two front teeth, you can bet that this is from your soda habit. You can either cut down on the soda, or you can use a straw. A straw will allow the liquid to bypass your teeth – it may even taste better, because the liquid is hitting your tastebuds first.
  3. Rinse your mouth out. Rinsing can increase the effectiveness of brushing your teeth. Rinsing can release and remove tiny particles, so that you can remove them with the brush. Rinsing your mouth is also important to kill the germs that cause the stains in the first place. Many people think that the stains on our teeth are from the coffee or tea alone, but oftentimes, there are also germs that help make these stains as they feed on the sugar in your teeth.
  4. Visit a dentist once or twice a year. If you want to properly remove a big stain, it is critical to visit a dental clinic, like the Timberland Dental. A dentist will not only give you a solid cleaning, but a dentist will also use special tools and instruments to really remove those stains. Not only that, but a dentist will work with you to fight stains and cavities in the future.
  5. Quit smoking. Indeed, quitting smoking may be the hardest thing you’ve ever done, but it will certainly be the best way to cut reduce the stains on your teeth. In fact, there are many smoking cessation programs that can help. Not only will your teeth be healthier, but your overall health will be better too.

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