If you’re wanting to keep your smile nice and bright and reduce staining, you’re in the right place! We’re here with plenty of tips to help you reduce staining, from foods and drinks to avoid through to some handy tips about your oral hygiene routine. Unfortunately teeth staining is a part of life and a common, basic tooth problem, especially as we get older, but there are a few things you can do to help slow down the process.
Don’t Brush 30 Minutes Before or After Eating
Firstly, you shouldn’t brush your teeth for 30 minutes before or after eating or drinking. When you eat or drink, it can temporarily soften the enamel on the teeth, so then if you go and brush your teeth quickly afterwards, or you have just brushed your teeth, it can contribute to discolouration. Instead, you should make sure that you don’t brush for 30 minutes either side of a meal, especially if the thing you have eaten is a dark colour or it contains acidic ingredients. The exception to this rule is drinking water, as this could actually help to wash away some food residue and reduce discolouration.
Avoid Certain Foods and Drinks
Some foods and drinks are known to contribute to worse teeth staining, so reducing your intake of them will help to keep your smile bright. Tea, coffee and red wine are quite big culprits in terms of drinks, so try swapping a few cups out with either water or green tea, which are both good for your oral health. Tomato based meals can also cause staining when eaten in excess, like some pasta or curry dishes, so this is worth bearing in mind. If you’re eating a lot of sugary foods, not only do they often contain artificial colours that can discolour your teeth, but they can also break down the enamel and cause discolouration.
Instead of eating too many of these foods, try to replace them with crunchy fruit and vegetables, like apples, pears, celery, cucumber, peppers and carrots, as these are natural teeth cleaners so can help to remove build up of plaque without being harmful to the teeth. So, try to be considerate of your oral health in the decisions you make when eating and drinking!
Drink Plenty Of Water
A good way to reduce teeth staining is to drink lots of water throughout the day, especially after you’ve just eaten or drunk something that isn’t water. After we eat and drink, even some healthy foods, the residue from the food can combine with the bacteria in our mouths to create an acid, which can break down the enamel and contribute to staining. As well as this, if we eat foods that cause staining like those mentioned above and let them sit on our teeth until we next brush, this can also pose an issue. So, as well as drinking water throughout the way, make sure that you have a glass after you’ve eaten or had a drink of tea, coffee, something sugary or red wine, to help reduce the chance of staining and to keep you healthy overall!
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Have A Thorough Oral Hygiene Routine
Keeping your teeth, mouth and gums healthy overall with a thorough oral hygiene routine will help to reduce staining, as you’ll strengthen your enamel and generally keep everything clean. So, you should be brushing twice a day with an electric toothbrush and fluoride toothpaste, flossing once a day in the evening to remove any food or plaque residue from the day and using mouthwash twice a day as well. Not only will this keep your oral health in good condition, but it can help to reduce staining too! Taking just 5 minutes out of your day to focus on this can make a big difference to your smile, so you should be making it a priority.
Visit Your Dentist Every 6 Months
Last but not least, you should be visiting your dentist every 6 months. This is standard as it increases the likelihood of your dentist being able to identify any issues that you may have missed or may not be showing symptoms. However, it also gives you the chance to see your hygienist for a clean and polish, to remove buildup and potentially remove some staining too.
If you’re concerned about staining, make sure to tell your dentist in Wakefield, Wolverhampton or West London way, as they can make personalised recommendations for you, but also let you know about cosmetic options, from teeth stain removal to whitening and composite bonding. So, if you haven’t already got an appointment booked to see your dentist, this is your sign to get it sorted for your overall oral health and to help with your teeth staining.
