Does it seem like your smile is becoming increasingly discolored? While there are plenty of factors that can change the color of your teeth, the most likely culprit is your diet. A variety of foods and beverages are notorious for causing enamel stains, including wine, coffee, curry, soy sauce, and blackberries. Although these items are all very different, they all contain compounds known as tannins. Read on as your Columbia dentist explains how the tannins in your diet can influence the appearance of your pearly whites and what you can do to protect your pearly whites.
What Are Tannins & How Do They Discolor Teeth?
The protective shell of enamel around your teeth is slightly porous. As such, it can absorb helpful substances like calcium and fluoride, as well as harmful ones like sugars, bacteria, and tannins.
Tannins are a group of organic compounds that give certain foods and drinks their color and bitterness. They attract and interact with a variety of particles in the mouth, including carbohydrates, enzymes, and proteins. Unfortunately, this means that teeth coated in tannins are much more likely to have sugars and bacteria stick to them.
As these particles decay, they produce acids that burn through the enamel to cause cavities. Essentially, the more tannins you consume, the more these cavity-causing compounds will stick to and discolor your teeth.
Which Foods Contain Tannins?
Tannins are present in a wide variety of foods and drinks—some of which might surprise you! A few of the most common places they can be found are:
- Acidic, dark-colored beverages like coffee, tea, and wine.
- Dark-colored legumes such as chickpeas, beans, and black-eyed peas.
- Fruits and berries, including grapes, pomegranates, blueberries, cherries, and cranberries.
- Herbs and spices like cinnamon, thyme, cloves, and vanilla.
Tips for Protecting Your Smile from Tannins
With so many foods and beverages containing this staining compound, it can be difficult to cut them out of your diet altogether. Alongside limiting your tannin intake, you can also protect your smile from discoloration by:
- Brushing your teeth frequently: Brush your teeth right away after eating or drinking items that contain tannins. If your meal was acidic, wait 30 minutes before brushing.
- Rinsing your mouth out: If you can’t brush right away, rinse your mouth out with water to wash away lingering particles.
- Drinking water: Drinking water while enjoying staining foods or beverages will help keep tannins from settling onto your teeth.
- Using a straw: You can minimize contact between your teeth and the tannins in your beverage by drinking through a straw.
- Seeing your dentist: Professional teeth whitening in Columbia is an excellent choice for lifting stains caused by tannins and restoring your pearly whites.
A few simple precautions can go a long way in preventing tooth discoloration from the tannins in your daily diet. With great oral hygiene, a few healthy habits, and biannual visits to your dentist, you can easily keep your smile sparkling!
About the Practice
The talented team of Beck Dental Care is proud to help the families of Columbia, TN achieve the happy, healthy, and beautiful smiles they’ve always wanted. They have all completed countless hours of continuing education and have outfitted their practice with state-of-the-art technology to ensure they can offer their patients the best results. If you’re interested in brightening your smile, they offer treatments like professional take-home whitening kits as well as several other solutions. They can be contacted via their website or at (931) 388-8452.