How to Prevent Stains on Teeth

The easiest action you can take to prevent staining your teeth is avoiding the products that stain your teeth:

Black coffee
Tea
Red wine
Soda
Juice
Popsicles or slushies
Energy drinks
Soy sauce
Balsamic vinegar
Tomato sauce
Blueberries, cranberries, and raspberries
Beets
Curry
Dark caramel and food colorings
Candy
Tobacco use (cigarettes, as well as in pipes, chewing tobacco, etc.). Any use of tobacco will promote stain.
Some periodontal mouth rinses
Licorice

There are a variety of tactics that can be used to help prevent staining your teeth:

Use a straw. This helps deliver the liquid past your teeth thus limiting their exposure.
Add milk to your coffee or tea.
Rinse your mouth with water after eating or drinking any of the substances listed above.
Eat raw, crunchy vegetables. These act like natural floss effectively removing potentially staining food particles.
Consider switching from one type of tea to another that stains less.
Chew gum with xylitol (like Ice Breakers Ice Cubs) to stimulate saliva production.
Use a tongue cleaner to remove the stain from the tongue which can end up on the teeth.
Don’t brush right after eating or drinking. This may seem like the right action to take after eating or drinking something off the list above, but a brush can actually brush the stain into the teeth rather than have the desired effect.
Use an electric toothbrush. These are more effective than brushing manually because of the rapid circular motion.
Brush for two minutes and floss at least twice per day.
Use whitening toothpaste and rinses.
Schedule two professional dental cleanings per year. If your teeth require additional cleanings to manage the build-up of stains, schedule them.
If limiting your intake of staining food and drink, and leveraging these stain prevention methods are not enough, you should consider professional whitening.

Our Cary Dentist Office Can Whiten Your Teeth!