There are over 200 Starbucks in the borough of Manhattan. If you have a coffee addiction, you’re never more than half a dozen blocks, give or take, from a Starbucks counter. Even if you don’t love Starbucks and you just need a cup of java to keep you going throughout the day, every sip you take is another ding to your tooth enamel. Your love of coffee, while it may be essential for daily survival, can actually be the downfall of your smile.
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Ways to Prevent a Coffee-Stained Smile
No one is saying you have to give up your daily coffee. But there are some coffee-drinking habits that put your oral health in a precarious position.
Sipping on a cup of coffee throughout the day exposes your tooth enamel to a constant coffee bath. While it may seem that your enamel is flat and smooth, there are actually natural pits and ridges in your tooth enamel that easily collect the pigment from dark-colored drinks. Once the stains become embedded, teeth can become permanently discolored. If you drink your coffee at certain times of the day – such as with a meal – then rinse your mouth with water or, if you’re able to, brush afterward, you are still getting the pleasure of enjoying a cup of coffee without the negative tooth-staining side effects.
It might seem that a lighter-colored drink or coffee spiked with cream or sugar would also be less harmful to your tooth enamel since the dark pigments would not be as present, right? Not so much. Regardless of the kind of coffee you drink or in what configuration, the same acids and pigments are present. Black coffee can be just as harmful as weak tea when it comes to tooth enamel. It’s the amount of coffee you drink, not the kind of coffee, that will make a difference to your tooth health.
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How to Repair a Discolored Smile
If you’re decades into a coffee habit, or you’re young and have ingested more coffee than your grandparents over your lifetime, there’s a good chance the stains and discoloration that your teeth are sporting are stuck in place and going nowhere fast.
When your teeth never give up any of their brown or yellow color, no matter how diligently you work to cleanse them, it’s time to make some cosmetic dentistry adjustments. There are a few solutions that are ideal for people with stained teeth.
Teeth whitening is one of the biggest repair options for a stained smile. There is nothing quite like the bleaching power of a professional in-office teeth whitening treatment. If your stains are immovable, however, your Manhattan cosmetic dentist will let you know that no amount of surface treatment will make a difference. When this is the case, if you want to eliminate tooth stains then porcelain veneers or Cerinate Lumineers are likely to be your smile makeover recommendation. Both options provide you with a brand new, natural-looking smile. And, the best part is, the veneers and Lumineers are stain resistant. (But that’s still no reason to go crazy with the coffee habit.)
Of course, one of the best things you can do for your teeth, whatever kind of coffee habit you may or may not have, is to keep up with preventive care and see your Manhattan dentist every six months for a professional cleaning and exam. Contact Manhattan dentist Dr. Michael J. Wei to discuss your oral health concerns and your smile makeover options. Make an appointment today.
