How Coffee Stains Teeth and What To Do About It
Did you know that your morning cup of coffee could be the reason why your teeth are stained? Many people don’t realize just how badly coffee can end up staining their teeth, and constantly underestimate its role in yellowing teeth over time.
Understanding Coffee Stains
Contrary to what you may expect, coffee doesn’t just stain your teeth because of its color and in fact it actually stains your teeth in several different ways. That is part of the reason why it is one of the main culprits behind stained teeth.
To begin with, coffee contains a substance known as ‘tannins’ that is also present in red wine. It causes color to stick to your teeth, staining it in the process with a yellow-ish color that won’t just wash away.
On top of that coffee is also acidic and that can wear away the enamel that protects the teeth. While this can be damaging to your teeth in the long term and lead to cavities, it can also cause pitting that will increase the likelihood of stains.
How to Remove Coffee Stains
The good news however is nowadays there are several ways to remove coffee stains, and these measures are typically known as teeth whiteners. As you can guess based on their name, these products will help you to whiten your teeth by removing any staining and leaving them a gleaming, pearly, white.
Generally speaking, teeth whitening can be done using over-the-counter products or on a professional basis. The difference between both these options is important, as they vary in effectiveness and cost.
Over-the-counter teeth whitening products mostly consist of either whitening toothpaste or bleaching whitener kits that you can apply at home. Depending on the severity of the staining on your teeth the effectiveness of these methods can vary, though in most cases it will take multiple applications before you start to see a noticeable difference. That being said they tend to be very affordable, and are convenient to boot.
On the other hand professional teeth whitening is often carried out at a dentist, and it uses stronger and more effective substances to bleach your teeth. Because of that you will be able to see noticeable results a lot sooner, but that does come at a far more expensive price tag. Additionally it is certainly less convenient, as you’ll need to make a trip to the dentists each time you want a treatment.
Keep in mind that although teeth whitening Exeter can help you to remove coffee stains – your teeth are likely to eventually become stained again, if you continue to drink coffee. In fact it may even start to become stained very quickly if you drink any coffee shortly after having your teeth whitened.
Assuming you don’t want to give up coffee completely however, you can arrange to have your teeth whitened periodically. That way you’ll have relatively white teeth, but at the same time will have to go in for whitening every so often.