If you want white teeth but also love drinking coffee, here are some tips to follow. Yes, drinking coffee will stain your teeth. But the good news is you don’t have to give up your coffee altogether!
How Coffee Stains Teeth
First, let’s review how coffee stains teeth. The outer layer of our teeth, called the enamel, has microscopic pores throughout it. Coffee has small organic compounds called tannins. These molecules are pigmented and attach to the enamel, staining our teeth. The longer the tannins stay, the deeper the stains get, and more difficult to remove. It’s important to break the tannins’ attachment to our enamel every time we drink coffee.
Add Milk
If you love a good latte, here’s some good news! Adding milk reduces the staining power of the coffee. The proteins found in cow milk bind to the tannin, preventing them from binding to the enamel. In a way, the milk protein distracts the tannin from binding to our teeth. This works best with cow milk because of the proteins found in it.
Drink through a straw
If adding cow milk is not an option, then try drinking your coffee through a straw. If you do this, make sure the straw is behind your front teeth so that the coffee doesn’t come in contact with the front side of your teeth. This doesn’t completely stop staining, but it definitely reduces the contact time that coffee has with your teeth.
Drink within 30 minutes and rinse with water after
My favorite way to avoid stains is to enjoy your coffee within 30 minutes and then rinse with water after. Shortening your coffee session will also shorten the time that coffee is contacting our teeth. Rinsing with water right after will help prevent the stains from forming. Remember, the longer the tannins stay on our teeth the deeper the stains become and more difficult to remove. So if we minimize the time they are on our teeth, we can stay ahead and keep our teeth stain free!