Are your teeth yellow and dull, but you’re not sure what’s making them that way? It’s your food. Over time, everything on your plate can cause your teeth to turn yellow. What’s the solution, you may ask? We will never ask you to stop indulging in your yummy favourites, but there are tips and tricks you can follow to maintain your pearly whites. Steer clear of the following staining culprits (avoid them or reduce them), and follow the simple tips that can help prevent the yellowing of your teeth.
Pasta Sauce
Between the acidity of the tomatoes, their bright red colour, and their tendency to cling onto your teeth, pasta sauce can easily penetrate the enamel and leave unflattering stains.
Pro Tip: Before diving into your Italian delight, try eating a salad or dark greens - like kale, spinach, or broccoli. These foods create a thin film over your teeth that will help protect your teeth from the staining effects of tomatoes.
Curry
Commonly found in Indian dishes, its deep yellow hue, mostly due to turmeric, can stain teeth over time. You can opt for stews or curries with lesser turmeric content.
Pro Tip: Whenever you indulge in curried food, accompany it with stain-preventing fruits or vegetables like apples, carrots, celery, or cucumbers.
Chocolate
Chocolate contains tannins, which are acidic polyphenols that can cause staining. The more sugar or starch a food has, the more acid it produces, making candy and chocolates big no-nos.
Pro Tip: If you have a soft spot for chocolates, make sure you eat them after meals. As there’s more saliva in the mouth then, it helps protect the teeth better. Make sure you rinse your mouth with water afterwards.
Berries
The strong tints in raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, and cranberries, paired with the acidity of the fruits, can cause staining whether they’re eaten whole, as a jam or jelly, or as a juice.
Pro Tip: Drink something after you eat berries. Water will rinse your mouth and can help keep the staining effect under control. A glass of milk will neutralise the acidity of the berries and strengthen your teeth.
Beverages
Acidity and colour in drinks like black or green coffee, tea, wine, sodas, and sports drinks can stain teeth and contribute to enamel erosion. We tend to keep sipping on such drinks, keeping them close to our teeth before we swallow.
Pro Tip: Drinking through a straw helps as dyes avoid teeth altogether.
What should be your oral care regime for whiter teeth and why should you opt for it?
- Just by adding some brightening power to your regular oral care routine, you can get a lot closer to your original pearly smile. Use a teeth-whitening toothpaste that has micro silica particles like the accelerators in Colgate Visible White, they help in gently scrubbing away the stains from your teeth surface without damaging the enamel and making your teeth one shade whiter within a week.
- You can also use a toothbrush like Colgate 250R Whitening for that extra special polishing action. With soft rubber strips to hold the whitening toothpaste and spiral bristles for more effective stain removal, you can easily take your brightening regimen to the next level.
- See your dentist every six months. Regular cleanings help to remove discolouration of the teeth due to external staining factors.
Maintaining a white smile can be difficult. Fortunately, you can help yourself out by avoiding stain-causing foods and adding naturally cleaning foods to your diet. A little extra care will take your smile from conventional to confident!
