6 Easy Ways to Avoid Coffee Stains On Your Teeth
May 27, 2020
Written by Dr. Cameron Ho DDS, Greenboro Dental
Important Update: We understand that news outlets have been reporting that dental offices in Ontario can start reopening for elective and routine services, however we are still waiting on mandatory guidelines from our regulatory college (the RCDSO) on resuming elective and routine treatment. Until they have given us their updated guidelines, they have instructed all dentists in Ontario to continue following their recommendation of only providing emergency dental care at this time. As soon as they update us on when we can fully re-open we will post an update on our website. The Greenboro Dental would like to thank everybody for their patience and can’t wait to welcome all of our patients back to our practice!
Now that we’re all spending more time at home, getting your coffee machine going throughout the day as you work from home or ordering takeout of your favourite Grande Iced Blonde Flat White from Starbucks as a little treat-yourself may be a bit easier than before. Tips on how to avoid coffee staining your teeth may not be a new topic, but we could all use a reminder sometimes!
Today, we’re tackling one of the biggest complaints we hear from our patients: stains on their teeth. One of the biggest culprits? Your morning coffee!
Now I know what you’re thinking: “Woah woah woah Dr. Ho, I can’t function without my morning coffee!” – and don’t worry, neither can I some mornings. We’re all in the same boat.
While all dentists in Ontario are still limited to seeing emergency dental patients (see our previous blog post: Life as a Dentist Open During COVID in Ottawa), we figured it’d be a good idea to share some easy do-it-yourself tips on how you can maintain your rock star smile until your next visit to Greenboro Dental.
1. Say No to Cream & Sugar
Bad bacteria in your mouth thrive on substances such as sugar to grow; which cause stains and cavities. If you can’t switch in an instant to start having your coffee black, first try swapping your creamers for milk and then gradually reduce the amount of added sugar. Luckily, early on when I started to drink coffee I trained my taste buds to enjoy my coffee black or with just a splash of milk (not cream) to appreciate each roast’s unique flavours. As an added bonus to being able to actually taste your coffee, avoid adding sugar and creamers in your coffee to save your teeth in the long run and reduce the plaque build up (coffee stains).
Another easy thing you can do is…
2. Use a Straw
Drinking your coffee through a straw is an easy way to limit the amount of contact the liquid has with your teeth, which then reduces staining. With the recent (and great trend) of reusable and sustainable products coming out, having a metal reusable straw handy is not only great for the environment, but also your teeth! When you have your new reusable straw picked out, also make sure to…
3. Sip, but Don’t Sit on Your Coffee
It’s very important to make sure that you’re not letting coffee sit in your mouth for too long. Now this doesn’t mean you have to chug your coffee like you’re back in first-year frosh week…you should still take a moment to enjoy the wonderful flavour and smell of coffee. BUT, you have to make sure not to give your teeth a coffee bath (the same is true with other coloured liquids such as cola and red wine). Now we do want you to give your teeth a different bath after your coffee by…
4. Rinsing Your Mouth Out with Water
After you’ve sipped your coffee down to the last tasty drop, make sure to give your mouth a quick rinse with water. This will remove some of the lingering traces of coffee sitting on your teeth that could cause staining and also the dreaded smelly coffee breath. Coffee is an acidic liquid and by removing some by rinsing your mouth is an easy way to clean your teeth. And while you’re at it, you should also…
5. Floss and Brush
You know your friendly neighbourhood dentist couldn’t have a top 6 list without having flossing and brushing on it 😂. Now it’s important that you do tip #4 first as you don’t want to immediately brush your teeth after drinking coffee. Coffee is an acidic liquid so it’s very important to rinse your mouth out with water and wait at least 15 minutes before brushing your teeth or else you’ll risk brushing away your enamel and also increase staining on your teeth. But don’t worry, while you wait the 15 minutes you can floss your teeth, and while we know many people dread flossing it’s actually a super important step in reducing stains. A tooth has five sides that are exposed in the mouth and if you brush but don’t floss you’re leaving two of those sides (the “in-betweens) neglected which can lead to your teeth appearing a lot darker as stains build up between your teeth. If you’re a great brusher and wonder why you still see stains around your teeth, this could be why! Toothpaste and floss is cheap in comparison to corrective work such as fillings, so why not use some of the extra downtime COVID has brought to develop new healthy habits? You’ll find that you’ll be able to maintain your smile longer so you can show it off at your…
6. Regular Dental Visits
Keeping up with a visit to your local dentist at least twice a year is very important in maintaining your smile; especially if you worry about coffee stains that could potentially become permanent the longer you allow them to linger between your dental cleanings. While regular daily brushing and flossing will slow down the rate plaque and bacteria grow in your mouth, the key point is that it only “slows down” their growth and eventually they will grow naturally to a point where brushing and flossing will not be able to remove plaque and bacteria completely. This is due to a variety of reasons that we’ll maybe save for a future blog post (hint: additives in modern food plays a big role). That’s why your local dental office have special tools that are specifically designed to remove bacteria and stains in your mouth, in addition to helping you identify little problems before they can blow up to expensive problems.
And there we have it. I hope the above tips on 6 easy ways to avoid coffee stains on your teeth could help you improve your daily coffee drinking habits to maintain a healthy smile for the long run. We can’t wait to welcome all our existing and new patients back to Greenboro Dental for their long awaited cleanings and checkups!
Have a dental emergency in Ottawa? Greenboro Dental is still available for existing patients and always welcome new dental patients in the Greenboro, Ottawa South Keys, and the greater Ottawa community with quality dentistry that you can trust. Contact us now for assistance with your dental emergency.
