Studies show tea may help prevent cavities by reducing the bacteria and decay-causing acid produced in your mouth. Both green and black tea also contain fluoride that can help ward off tooth decay. Using fluoridated tap water in your tea can add to the fluoride you're getting with each sip.
Use a straw
When drinking from a cup, the liquid washes over the teeth before swallowing. Using a straw to drink beverages like coffee, tea or soda significantly minimizes the staining effect.
Not only do coffee and tea stain your teeth significantly, but the acidity can also damage your enamel. When drinking the two beverages, try adding milk or cream to lessen staining and pair with water to continually rinse out your mouth. Caffeinated coffee and tea can also dry out your mouth.
Both drinks are also high in acid, which can cause the enamel to soften, allowing the tannins to have an easier surface to stick to. So which drink goes easier on your teeth? The answer is: Coffee. Tea has higher levels of both acid and tannins, resulting in more teeth stains.
Green and white teas are the best types of tea for your teeth. Green, white, and black tea all have a lot of antioxidants, which help fight cavity-causing bacteria and reduce inflammation in your gums, but black tea will stain your teeth yellow over time. Green and white tea, on the other hand, won't.
Tea can stain your teeth because it contains tannin, the yellowish or brownish substance found in plants that gives tea its color. Brushing your teeth or rinsing your mouth after drinking tea can help reduce staining.
Unfortunately, with large amounts of sugar and a low pH, sweet tea is terrible for our teeth. Research shows that many iced tea brands are much worse than soda, and similarly to pop, it can be a hard habit to break. Try making the switch to green tea.
Though moderate intake is healthy for most people, drinking too much could lead to negative side effects, such as anxiety, headaches, digestive issues, and disrupted sleep patterns. Most people can drink 3–4 cups (710–950 ml) of tea daily without adverse effects, but some may experience side effects at lower doses.
What Can Be Done to Whiten Yellow Teeth? If you're looking for a radical change in the coloring of your teeth, you need professional-grade whitening to get the job done. Your cosmetic dentist can provide treatment that penetrates deep into the enamel and removes years of stains with a powerful bleaching agent.
Brushing twice a day is good but brushing immediately after you drink a cup of tea is even better. Drinking water after a cup of tea can also help rinse away some of the tannins left in your mouth. Lighter-colored teas stain less, so switching from black to herbal or green teas can reduce staining.
To remove tea stains from teeth, floss and brush twice daily using smokers toothpaste or stain removal toothpaste – this is a temporary solution as the coarse paste could damage tooth enamel over time. Dental polishing treatments to remove tea stains before whitening are available.
Brushing Your Teeth Before Drinking Tea
Brushing your teeth before drinking will not cause your teeth to absorb the tea more. The exception to that is after having dental work done. While your toothpaste won't open the tubules on your teeth, the teeth whitening procedure will.
How Much Tea Do You Need To Drink To Cause Staining? Just one cup of tea a day can cause some staining, if done habitually over a long period of time. Many of us have been drinking tea for years and already have some level of tooth staining.
So while permanent tooth loss can occur at any age as an adult, significant averages in partial and total tooth loss tend to occur in people aged 50 years old and above.
Teas. Many black, green, and herbal teas contain tannins, which naturally stain teeth and gums. Green tea leaves a dull gray stain on teeth, while black tea leaves yellowish stains, but even such herbal teas as chamomile and hibiscus may cause staining and discoloration if regularly consumed over time.
Consuming Certain Foods and Drinks. “Certain foods that are high in tannins, such as red wine, are potential causes of yellow teeth,” notes Crest. Other teeth-staining foods include coffee, citrus fruits and juices, soft drinks, teas, berries, tomato-based sauces, curry, balsamic vinegar, and soy sauce.
Even with daily brushing, certain foods and drinks can cause stained teeth. For example, frequently drinking coffee, tea and wine can all lead to yellow teeth. In addition, even regular brushing cannot always combat yellow teeth caused by smoking cigarettes.
Most tooth whiteners use one of two chemical agents: carbamide peroxide or hydrogen peroxide (the same stuff that will bleach your hair). When used in the mouth, carbamide peroxide breaks down into hydrogen peroxide and urea, with hydrogen peroxide being the active whitening ingredient.
Green Tea. Green tea is often touted as the healthiest tea. It is chock full of polyphenols and antioxidants that help to boost brain and heart health. Green tea is considered one of the least processed true teas as it does not undergo oxidation.
Moderate tea consumption of under 3 cups of tea a day can convey a myriad of health benefits, but drinking too much tea, which is exceeding 3–4 cups per day, has been linked to a few negative side effects.
In this battle over health benefits, coffee comes out on top. Coffee drinkers can raise a mug to fiber, microbiome health and lowering risk for cancer and diabetes. But tea drinkers, do not despair. Tea is undoubtedly good for your blood pressure, cholesterol, stress levels, mental health and productivity.
Sugar sweetened beverages have high levels of sugar and drinking these can significantly contribute to tooth decay. Regular and 'diet' soft drinks, sports drinks, energy drinks, fruit juices, fruit drinks and cordials also have high acid levels that can cause tooth erosion.
You Can't Go Wrong with Milk, Water, or Tea
Water, whether it's mineralized or straight from your tap, has important oral health benefits. Bottled water with added minerals contains calcium phosphate, an important element to help strengthen tooth enamel.
Water. It should come as no surprise that water is the best drink when it comes to both your oral and general health. Most sources of tap water contain fluoride, a naturally-occurring mineral that can actually help to strengthen the enamel, making it more resistant to the effects of harmful acid.