You may be surprised to hear that these unusual suspects could be to blame for your dental stains.
We all love the idea of getting a brighter, whiter smile. Perhaps you’ve tried all the over-the-counter products and weren’t happy with all the time and effort you had to put in to get only minimal results. However, did you know that there are certain things you are doing that could be causing your dental stains in the first place? The best thing you can do is take necessary precautions to prevent stains from forming. Here are some things to stay away from if you want to maintain a whiter smile.
Sports Drinks
This might seem like a healthy thirst-quenching option, particularly after hitting the gym; however, you may be surprised to hear that it could actually have the opposite effect. While we often blame sodas or coffee for causing serious dental stains, sports drinks are highly acidic, which can attack and erode tooth enamel. This acidity compounded by high levels of sugar causes a serious double whammy on teeth. Next time, replace sports drinks with water when you need to hydrate after a long workout or hot day.
White Wine
You’ve probably heard a lot of people talk about how red wine can cause serious stains, and perhaps you’ve even noticed it firsthand and decided it would be safer to switch to white wine. Think again! Some research even suggests that white wine can cause more damage to teeth than red wine. If you do happen to drink wine it’s best to lay off the toothbrush for at least 30 minutes after. Instead, rinse your mouth out with water to help remove some of the enamel-eroding chemicals from your teeth until you can brush.
Peanut Butter
While peanut butter is a delicious treat that offers some nutritional value, this sticky snack not only feeds the bacteria on your smile and gets stuck in hard-to-reach places between teeth, but most peanut butter is also loaded with a ton of sugar. If you can’t part ways with this delicious food, then at least consider purchasing peanut butter that doesn’t have any added sugars. While this won’t completely eliminate the problem it can lessen it.
These are only some of the likely culprits that could be causing your serious dental discolorations. If you are dealing with unsightly stains and you are interested in getting teeth whitening in Wheaton, IL, then call Dr. David L. Carlson, DDS to learn more.