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Is Your Diet Staining Your Teeth?

If you have recently had your teeth whitened at Leeds City Dentalcare then we hope you are thrilled with the results. We will have already given you lots of advice on how to keep your teeth whiter for longer, but your teeth will eventually become darker, and you will need to re-use your tooth whitening trays periodically to maintain your gleaming smile. However the colour of your teeth can also be influenced by your diet, so if you really want to keep your pearly whites bright and shiny then you may need to make a few minor adjustments to the types of foods you eat. Some foods are definitely worse offenders than others, and the list may surprise you.

• Many of our patients at our Leeds surgery are already well aware of the staining qualities of tea and coffee, but these can be very tricky to give up completely. Coffee can be diluted with milk or cream, and the calcium content can be an extra boost for dental health, but black tea is a little trickier. Drinking green or white tea can be a good substitute, and these teas are good for dental health but don’t always have the same appeal as a cuppa.
• Red and white wines are also bad offenders, and we’re sure red wine is no surprise. We find some of our patients at our Leeds surgery are intrigued to learn white wine is bad for staining teeth, and the reason for this is due to its high acidity. White wine can soften the tooth enamel so if you then eat something staining it will be more able to penetrate the tooth.
• Fruit juices are high in acids, and although they may seem healthy they can also be high in sugars. It is best to drink diluted fruit juice, or to simply replace it with a piece of crunchy fruit withhigh water content, such as an apple or pear.
• Lots of people have got into the habit of having bread with balsamic vinegar and olive oil, but this highly coloured vinegar can stain the teeth. Balsamic vinegar isn’t quite so bad when used in salad dressings, and the reason for this is that lettuce can form a film over the teeth, helping to protect them.
• Tomato based sauces are a favourite with many, as they tend to be lower in calories and are perceived as being healthier than cream based sauces. While this may be true they are not quite so good for teeth. It can help to make sure you eat plenty of vegetables with this type of meal as this will help to lessen the staining effects.
• Fizzy drinks can be very high in sugar, providing food for plaque bacteria in the mouth. These bacteria produce acids as a by-product of feeding which will weaken the tooth enamel, increasing its porosity and the chance of it becoming stained. Diet versions may be lower in calories but are just as bad for teeth as they contain phosphoric and citric acids that will attack and soften the tooth enamel. The best thing to do is to drink these through a straw to limit the amount of contact they have with your teeth.
• Curries also make it onto this list. The reason as to why is pretty obvious as their staining qualities on clothes is well known.

It would be impossible to cut out all these foods from your diet, and life wouldn’t be much fun if you tried. The solution is to eat everything in moderation, and to be sure you visit Dr David Brown for regular check-ups and that you book a professional cleaning with our dentist in Leeds surgery at the same time. Professional cleanings can help to gently remove some of these surface stains, giving your smile a boost while improving your oral health.