Tooth enamel is actually porous. Over time, our teeth can get stained. This happens for a few
reasons, lack of proper dental care and eating habits among them.
What eating habits will lead to tooth discoloration? Here are some foods you might want to
watch out for and what you can do.

The Top Staining Foods

All foods have the potential to contribute to your teeth staining if you aren’t brushing your
teeth. However, there are a few that will cause more staining than others, especially if you’re
not drinking water or brushing afterwards.

These include foods like tomatoes (especially in pasta sauce), berries, and strong spices. Any
berry has the potential to stain your teeth. Particularly potent ones include blueberries,
blackberries, and cranberries. Spices such as curry and turmeric can also cause your teeth to
have a yellow or brownish tinge.

Other foods that could stain include balsamic vinegar and candies that contain food dye.
The Top Beverages That Stain

In addition to eating habits, beverages can stain your teeth just as much if not more than
certain foods do. The biggest culprits are coffee, tea, and red wine. Regular consumption of all
of these beverages can majorly stain your smile over time. Even certain juices can discolor your
teeth—think cranberry or cherry juice.

Although some of these stains will be superficial and can be removed with a toothbrush, others
will go deeper and may need a professional whitening to correct. Your best and safest drink for
your smile is water, so it’s smart to consume all other beverages in moderation!

Getting Your Whitest Smile Possible

You don’t have to totally give up the foods you love to have a smile that you love too. Follow
these tips to get your whitest smile possible:

 Drink water. Drinking water while consuming teeth-staining foods or drinking beverages
that can stain will help. It minimizes the staining damage and rinses your mouth!

 Brush your teeth. It’s a bad idea to brush immediately after eating as it can harm tooth
enamel, so try to wait about a half hour. After this, gently brush your teeth to help
remove surface stains and stop any additional staining from setting in.

 Use a straw. Using a straw for beverages such as coffee and tea can help the drink to
bypass your teeth, therefore helping to cut down on stains.

 Visit your dentist. Your dentist can remove most surface stains through professional
cleanings, especially regular ones! You can also talk with your dentist about getting a
professional whitening to get rid of any deep stains you might have.

It’s easy to have a white smile when you properly care for your teeth!
Tooth staining is embarrassing and can cause people to hide their smiles even if they have
perfectly straight teeth. While there are certain foods and drinks that can cause staining, you
can help protect your smile with the right care. Drinking enough water, brushing your teeth,
and visiting your dentist can help you achieve your brightest smile!

The post What Eating Habits Can Lead to Tooth Discoloration? appeared first on Your Dental Health Resource.

When you already suffer from sensitive teeth, however, there are certain foods that it can be helpful to avoid. Here are the top foods to avoid if you have sensitive teeth!

Hot Foods

Extreme temperatures aren’t good for our bodies or our mouths. Hot foods can cause pain in people who suffer from sensitive teeth. These include foods that have high temperatures such as hot soup, tea, coffee, or very hot meals. It’s easy to avoid these foods—simply wait until it cools down a little! There’s no need to drink piping-hot drinks or eat very hot foods. They can even burn your mouth, tongue, or esophagus!

Cold Foods

Many people find that cold foods are one of the biggest aggravators of sensitive teeth. These include foods such as frozen treats like ice cream, popsicles, and frozen yogurt. If you have very sensitive teeth, even drinks with ice in them could cause your teeth to hurt. Request for your drinks to be served without ice, and opt for less extreme versions of these treats such as cold yogurt rather than frozen!

Acidic Foods

Acidic foods can actually erode enamel as well as cause further pain to those with sensitive teeth. Often sensitive teeth are the result of enamel that’s been worn away. Acidic foods include citrus fruits, tomatoes, and beverages like coffee, alcohol, and soda. Dairy and meat products also tend to be acidic, but typically only people with highly sensitive teeth may have a problem with these foods.

Sugary Foods

Sugary foods are also very acidic and can not only contribute to enamel erosion, but can be very painful to people with sensitive teeth. These include drinks such as soda and sports drinks, foods like candy,baked goods, and sugary cereals or other processed foods. Cutting down on your consumption of sugary foods will not only help with tooth sensitivity, but will help contribute to a healthier smile!

Spicy Foods

Not everyone with sensitive teeth will be sensitive to spicy foods—in fact, some aspects of spicy foods, such as the high vitamin C and water content in peppers, can help teeth. However, sometimes spicy foods can cause acid reflux, which can cause damaging and extremely acidic stomach acids to get into your mouth through your esophagus. If you suffer from sensitive teeth and acid reflux, avoid spicy foods!

Sensitive teeth have a cause, and you can treat your sensitive teeth and relieve the pain by scheduling an appointment with your dentist. You can also prevent tooth sensitivity and stop it from getting worse by ensuring your teeth are healthy, not brushing too hard, and limiting sugary foods. Avoid these top foods if you have sensitive teeth!

The post Top Foods to Avoid if You Have Sensitive Teeth appeared first on Your Dental Health Resource.