{"id":2999,"date":"2020-09-09T18:37:00","date_gmt":"2020-09-09T18:37:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beckdentalcare.com\/blog\/?p=2999"},"modified":"2020-10-07T18:43:12","modified_gmt":"2020-10-07T18:43:12","slug":"teeth-whitening-columbia-tannins-staining-smile","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beckdentalcare.com\/blog\/teeth-whitening-columbia-tannins-staining-smile\/","title":{"rendered":"How the Tannins in Certain Foods Are Staining Your Smile"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

What Are Tannins & How Do They Discolor Teeth?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Which Foods Contain Tannins?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Tannins are present in a wide variety of foods and drinks\u2014some of which might surprise you! A few of the most common places they can be found are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n