Five Tips For Fighting Teeth Stains From Coffee

If you want to keep your smile as white as possible, there are many stain-producing food and drinks that you may want to rethink your relationship with. Love your morning coffee? Tired of the strains? Try these ideas:

1. Switch to lattes.

Rather than just drinking drip coffee, consider switching to a latte. These drinks feature espresso which, like coffee, may stain your teeth. However, about two-thirds to four-fifths of the cup or even more in some cases contains milk. That helps to dilute the espresso, reducing stains. It also gives you the benefit of teeth strengthening calcium.

2. Try a coffee substitute.

Instead of fighting coffee stains with foamy milk, consider quitting coffee altogether and drinking a substitute. Sweet potato coffee was popular when coffee was sparse during the Civil War, while Postum is a coffee substitute manufactured by Kraft. The first you make by boiling sweet potatoes in water and then skimming them out, and the second you make like instant coffee by dissolving granules into hot water.

Unfortunately, however, sweet potatoes and the molasses in Postum can stain teeth to some degree. However, because these drinks don't have the addictive component, it's a lot easier to drink less of them than coffee, indirectly protecting your teeth from stains.

3. Use a straw.

If altering your coffee drink doesn't appeal to you, let it bypass your teeth by using a straw. Simply sip the drink, taste it on your tongue and let it slip back into your throat. Be extra careful as using a straw makes it easier to burn your mouth.

4. Have cheese for lunch.

If you don't' want to change anything about how you enjoy coffee, try snacking on cheese for lunch. Cheese, and especially gouda, contains casein which helps to maintain the pH balance in your mouth, fighting cavities and ultimately helping to make your teeth whiter and brighter. After your morning coffee, fight the effects with cubed cheese on salad, grilled cheese sandwiches, or cheese and crackers.

5. Talk with your dentist about reactive whitening ideas.

Finally, even if you changed to some of the above strategies, you may need to deal with old stains. To help ameliorate those stains, use teeth whitening toothpaste, try whitening strips or have your dentist bleach your teeth. Contact your dentist for more ideas on how to avoid stains from drinking coffee or any of your other favorite snacks. Contact a business, such as Bellasera Family Dentistry, for more information.