Just Have Your Teeth Professionally Whitened? Learn How To Avoid Coffee Stains
Have you recently had your teeth professionally whitened to brighten up their color by a cosmetic dentist, but want to go back to your daily habit of drinking coffee in the morning? If so, you may be wondering about the impact it can have on your teeth. Here are some ways to prevent teeth staining caused by coffee drinking.
Use a Straw
It may seem silly, but consider drinking your morning coffee with a straw. This is because sipping on coffee out of a traditional coffee cup causes the beverage to come in contact with your teeth. If you drink with a straw, the coffee will never touch your teeth.
Drink Some Water
Teeth become stained from coffee due to the beverage getting its way into the tooth enamel. You can prevent this from happening by drinking water after you have your morning coffee. You will be able to rinse away the pigments left behind from the coffee without having access to a toothbrush.
Chew Gum
Consider having some sugarless gum on hand for when you finish drinking your coffee. It will help keep your teeth white because chewing gum will cause your mouth to produce more saliva. In addition, the gum will freshen your breath and take away the coffee smell from your breath.
Brush Right After Drinking
Consider shifting your morning routine around so that you can brush your teeth right after drinking your morning coffee. Instead of brushing your teeth right after you wake up, switch to doing it right after breakfast. This is better for your teeth in general because you'll wash away the food on your teeth from the first meal of the day.
Schedule Your Coffee Drinking
Exposing your teeth to coffee for an extended period of time will contribute to them becoming stained again. This often happens when you casually sip coffee during your entire morning, which just stretches out how long the coffee washes over your enamel. Try to schedule your coffee drinking to certain times, such as during breakfast, which can get you into a routine to brush your teeth, drink water, or chew gum afterward. The longer you stretch out your coffee drinking, the less likely you'll be able to take steps to prevent teeth stains.
If you discover that your teeth are starting to look discolored once again, reach out to your dentist for additional teeth whitening treatments to get them back to their pearly white color.