After professional teeth whitening, help protect your smile from yellowing by limiting your exposure to curry powder, pasta sauce, balsamic vinegar, dark berries, coffee, tea, soda, wine, and sports drinks. Read on to learn more!
- Curry Powder
- Pasta Sauce
- Balsamic Vinegar
- Berries
- Certain Drinks
This yellow spice is used to flavor sauces, meats, soups, stews, marinades, and more. If you’ve cooked with curry powder, you know that its yellow coloring spreads to pretty much any food it touches. This means it can increase your chance of teeth discoloration. When you do eat curry dishes, mix in teeth-strengthening vegetables like carrots, broccoli, and cauliflower.
The bright red pigment found in sauces made with tomatoes can cling to teeth, causing discoloration. Additionally, the acidity level of tomato sauce can lead to enamel deterioration over time. When you make or buy pizza sauce or pasta sauce, add in 1/4 teaspoon or so of baking soda to reduce its acidity. You can also create a kind of protective film against the tomatoes’ pigment by eating dark green veggies, such as spinach, broccoli, or kale, beforehand.
Balsamic vinegar’s dark pigment can stick to teeth, leading to stains if not quickly washed away. Buffer the staining power of balsamic vinegar by pairing it with crunchy lettuce or mozzarella cheese in your meal.
While berries are full of antioxidants that improve both your oral health and overall health, their dark pigment can stain your teeth. Whether consumed whole, in juice, or as jam, be sure to drink water or milk with your blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, and cranberries to help wash the particles away.
Coffee, tea, soda, wine, and sports drinks can stain teeth. Whenever possible, choose a sugar-free variety or, better yet, replace these beverages with water. Some people believe drinking through a straw can make drinking these liquids safer for teeth but this notion isn’t correct. Once the liquid touches your tongue, it can get on your teeth. In fact, drinking through a straw can: cause burping, bloating, gas, and abdominal pain; accelerate the development of wrinkles around your mouth; and increase the risk of discoloration and decay in areas of the mouth that liquid is frequently directed.
Keep Your Smile Bright with Preventive Dental Care
Continue to enjoy the benefits of professional teeth whitening by: brushing your teeth twice a day for two minutes each time; flossing every day; daily brushing your tongue; drinking plenty of water; eating a balanced diet; avoiding tobacco products; and visiting us every six months for a cleaning and checkup. Contact us today to schedule your next appointment at our family-friendly dental office in Westerville, OH!