How to Indulge Your Coffee Habit Without Staining Your Teeth

How to Indulge Your Coffee Habit Without Staining Your Teeth

Countless people rely on a hot mug of caffeine (or two or three) to get them through the day. Unfortunately, coffee is among the most common causes of stains on the teeth. The easiest way to prevent this is to avoid drinking coffee, but for many people, this isn’t an acceptable option. Instead, consider using the following tips. And remember to make a dentist appointment every six months! Getting your teeth professionally cleaned will control the stains. Periodically, you might want to have an in-office teeth whitening performed.

Try to avoid sipping coffee all day long.

If you tend to walk around with a thermos and sip from it for hours at a time, you’re probably more likely to see stained teeth. Try to limit your teeth’s exposure to the coffee. Instead, just finish that cup and take a break before you drink another.

Rinse between cups.

After you enjoy a cup of coffee, rinse out your mouth with water. Even better, use alcohol-free mouthwash. You can also brush your teeth more frequently throughout the day, but be careful not to do it immediately after drinking acidic beverages like coffee, which can weaken the tooth enamel.

Drink through a straw.

Drinking coffee through a straw limits your teeth’s exposure to coffee. You can do this with hot coffee, but many people prefer to save the straw for iced coffee. Just know that frequent use of a straw can encourage the premature development of wrinkles around your mouth. It’s a trade-off. Another consideration is whether you’ve had any oral surgery recently. If you’ve had a tooth extracted, you shouldn’t use a straw until your dentist tells you that it’s okay to do so. This is because the suction can disturb the protective blood clot that forms on the surgical site.

Even if your coffee or tea habit does stain your teeth, you can get your pearly whites sparkling again with professional teeth whitening. The office of John R. Carson, DDS is pleased to offer safe and effective teeth whitening options that give our patients great results! Call our location in Tucson at (520) 514-7203 if you have any questions.