We all know that the best way to keep our teeth pearly-white is to brush them twice a day and to never skip a checkup with the dentist. However, if you find that despite doing your dental due diligence that your teeth still can’t shake off their yellow tinge, then your dietary habits might be the culprit. Here are six foods and drinks that might be yellowing your teeth.
1. Citrus and acidic foods
As deliciously tangy citrus and acidic foods make our dishes and drinks, over time they erode the enamel of our teeth, which may expose the yellow-hued dentin (i.e. the tissue made of calcium and phosphate) beneath the enamel.
2. Richly pigmented berries
Think blackberries, blueberries, and pomegranates— the rule of thumb is this: if their stains are difficult to remove from clothing, then they’ll definitely be difficult to remove from your teeth.
3. Sweets
It’s the big, bad culprit we’ve all heard about since we were old enough to gorge ourselves on Halloween candy— sweets. The sugars in sweets latch onto our teeth and attract aggressive bacteria that feed off the sugar, which then in turn release acids that lead to tooth decay.
4. Red AND white wine
As happy as a glass of wine might make you feel, it doesn’t quite have that effect on the color of your teeth. The tannins of red wine are responsible for teeth that have turned gray over time. White wine, on the other hand— even despite its transparent color— is acidic enough to break down your enamel and expose that pesky dentin underneath.
5. Coffee
This isn’t really news to religious coffee drinkers— they’ve understood their plight from the time they became coffee addicts. However, it is notable that coffee’s staining of the teeth works on two different levels. First—its tannins (like in red wine) lead to discoloration, and two—its acidity alters the pH balance of the mouth, ultimately leading any acidic foods consumed afterward to damage the teeth much more quickly.
6. Tea
Although tea might seem like a less harsh alternative to coffee, in reality it also contains stain-happy tannins, which again leads to not-so-white teeth.
All in all, it would be ridiculous for anyone to completely cut out their favorite foods and beverages in pursuit of the perfect set of pearly whites. The best we could all do is enjoy these things in moderation, and perhaps even do a quick brush right after eating or drinking anything particularly smile-damaging.