Many products affect the health and beauty of your teeth. For example, you should avoid teeth-staining products like coffee and wine while implementing dairy products and fibrous fruits and vegetables into your diet to give a new shine to your pearly whites. In this brief guide, we’ll review the best teeth whitening foods you should incorporate into your diet and the products you should consume moderately or avoid altogether.
Foods and Drinks to Avoid
There is no doubt that some foods and drinks in this category are part of your daily diet (you may be drinking one right now!). Here are some of the most notorious products you are likely consuming regularly:
1. Coffee and Tea
As you might already guess, coffee and tea top this chart. What makes both drinks detrimental to the whiteness of your teeth? The answer lies in tannins, the substances that stick to the enamel and make your teeth sticky so that pigments can get attached more easily. If you can’t live without these beverages, limit them to two cups a day, add milk to help reduce the effect, and rinse your mouth with water afterward.
2. Berries
Dark-colored berries, like cherries, blueberries, and blackberries, leave stains. Eat them moderately and rinse your mouth afterward.
3. Cigarettes
There is no surprise that tobacco and nicotine affect teeth. Cigarettes stain your teeth, heighten the chances of developing oral cancer, and accelerate gum problems, tooth decay, and loss. If you want to avoid yellow teeth and halitosis, it’s wise to avoid cigarettes altogether.
4. Fizzy Drinks and Fruit Juices
Sodas are acidic, high in sugars, and include many coloring substances that damage the enamel, increase the susceptibility to staining, and pave the way toward further cavities. Fruit juices, especially citrus ones, have a similar impact on your teeth.
5. Red Wine
Red wine is among the worst offenders on this list, as it contains tannins that make your teeth sticky, anthocyanins that give grapes their color, and a high acidity that etches your enamel. Here’s how to avoid wine-stained teeth: brush your teeth an hour before (not after!) drinking, eat cheese and high-fiber foods to scrub the stains, and drink sparkling water in between.
Foods and Drinks to Eat
Luckily, many foods and drinks have the opposite effect on your teeth. Here are some that will make your teeth healthier and whiter:
1. Water
Water serves multiple purposes: it helps wash away food particles, decrease bacteria, and prevent staining. Try to drink water after consuming teeth-staining foods and drinks.
2. Crunchy Fruits and Vegetables
From carrots and apples to celery, high-fiber fruit and vegetables stimulate saliva production. At the same time, the fiber foods work like a scrub and help gently clean your teeth from plaque.
3. Dairy
Yogurt, milk, cheese, and other dairy products are extremely rich in calcium and phosphates, which strengthen tooth enamel. Additionally, the casein proteins are known for protecting the enamel from decay, which should make dairy an important part of your diet.
Obviously, a proper diet is a pathway towards whiter and healthier teeth. You’ll achieve the much-wanted objective by limiting your consumption of high-staining foods and incorporating high-fiber produce, dairy, and water into your diet.
