Life can sometimes be so unfair. We have been told to eat some healthy foods like berries, chocolate, and red wine in order to keep our bodies strong and young. But all these foods tend to leave stains on our teeth and this makes us look much older. If you want to avoid staining and discoloration of your teeth or if you just performed teeth whitening and want to maintain their shade, we gathered some simple tricks to keep your teeth white.

Why do stains appear on the teeth?

There are two main enemies of your snow-white teeth, acids and colored food and drinks. Acidic foods and drinks can cause great damage to your teeth because the acids are able to erode tooth enamel which becomes more transparent and exposes the yellow-brown underlying . The teeth become yellowish and lose their attractiveness. These acids are also able to soften your tooth enamel which makes the teeth more prone to stains, abrasion and wear. If you want to avoid such an effect, you will need to limit sport and energy drinks, coffee, wine, and soda which contain a lot of acids.

Some colored foods and drinks may be very tasty but they can also leave stains on the teeth surface. Dark chocolate, red wine, highly pigmented berries, curry, soy and tomato sauce can to stain and discolor your teeth. Deeply-colored vegetables and berries in smoothies dye not only the drink but your teeth as well.

Food and drinks that are colored and acidic at the same time present double the danger. You also need to be careful with sugary foods. Candies and other sweets decrease teeth whiteness by softening your enamel and feeding bacteria that create plaque.

How to avoid stains and teeth discoloration?

Some junk foods and drinks may be excluded from your diet. But there are a lot of items that are very beneficial despite the fact that they can leave stains on the teeth surface. If you don’t want to perform regularly, you can always prevent stains and discoloration by following these tips:

• It doesn’t matter how tasty or healthy your food is, don’t let it stay on your teeth for a long time. 

• Do not forget to rinse your mouth with plain water after red wine. If you are fond of stretching a glass of wine over the whole evening, put a glass of water near you and rinse after every sip of wine.

• Crunchy vegetables and fruits are very beneficial. They can clean your teeth after deep-colored foods and drinks.

• You can use a straw for acidic and colored drinks. It helps them to bypass your teeth and keeps them white.

• Have a glass of milk or a piece of cheese after a meal. Daily consumption of dairy can strengthen your teeth with calcium and neutralize acidity.

• Don’t brush your teeth immediately after acidic foods. Acids soften your tooth enamel and brushing can thin it and make your teeth more sensitive. Wait at least 30 minutes and brush your teeth with a soft-bristled toothbrush.

• In order to remove all the plaque from your teeth, you need to brush them for at least two minutes, twice a day.

• Daily flossing can prevent stains between teeth.

• If you want to chew something, pick sugarless gum. It helps the body produce saliva that washes food particles out of your dentition. Moreover, gums with xylitol are able to decrease your risk of tooth decay.

As you see, there is not much effort needed to maintain your oral health and teeth whiteness in particular. Regular dental check-ups and whitening toothpaste can also help you in this. Smile a lot and be healthy.