How does Coffee Stain Teeth?

Coffee is the favourite daily beverage of many people throughout the world and a lot of them cannot start their normally without it. They are always at a risk of getting their teeth stained. The stains can be brown, yellow and black in colour. The unsightly stains can appear as spots or cover the whole or certain areas of your teeth. Coffee is considered to be a bigger culprit in causing teeth stains as many factors are combined in this drink.

How Coffee Causes Teeth Stains

The teeth’s enamel, the hard protective layer all around that protects it, is porous. That is why the enamel can be easily stained because it is not difficult for substances such as coffee to fill the pores. The nature of enamel also varies from person to person. In some it is rough while in others, it is smooth. Rougher enamels are more likely to get stained as compared to the smooth ones.

Some other factors have an effect on coffee’s staining impact on teeth. Genetic differences such as thicker enamels or natural yellowing due to ageing can cause differences in staining due to coffee. At times, some people wrongly make the culprit out of coffee when it is actually their advancing age to blame for yellowing of teeth.

Foods and beverages with high acid content can speed up the teeth staining because they have a corrosive effect on your enamel. Coffee has high acid content. Some other drinks with high acid content are tea, orange juice, tomatoes and many citreous fruits. Coffee with its dark colour has to take the blame for causing teeth stains more easily than other foods or beverages. The more you drink these beverages, particularly the dark ones such as tea, coffee and colas, the more you run the risk of staining your teeth.

The wise thing would be to limit your coffee consumption to one or two cups daily. Moreover, you should avoid keeping the drink in your mouth for too long as it increases the exposure to teeth. Having coffee with a straw can also help. Brushing your teeth or rinsing it water every time you have coffee is also a very good way of keeping teeth stains away. Teeth stains from coffee or any other substance may not require a special dental visit, but if you want to try any sort of whitening or teeth cleaning product, do so only after your dentist’s advice.

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