2 Solutions for Coffee Stained Teeth

Most people want whiter teeth. But so many good foods and beverages stain our teeth. A couple of solutions become clear once we understand how our teeth stain.

Teeth are like sponges for calcium. When your mouth is more acidic the calcium is leached out and the teeth are rung out sponges. In this state stains from tea, coffee, red wine, and indian food are soaked up by our teeth. As our mouth becomes more alkaline though the buffering action of our saliva calcium goes back into the teeth and the stains are locked in. This process happens nearly every time we have a meal, snack, or drink. Over time the teeth start to have a dark brown or grey appearance.

Hydrogen peroxide was used in the ’70s as a rinse for gum disease. Patients noticed that their teeth also become whiter. It took awhile for dentists to catch on, but by the ’90s whitening products became available. Hydrogen peroxide or a weaker form called carbamide peroxide are acids and they will leach calcium out of the teeth but they also break down the stain molecules resulting in whiter teeth. In a healthy mouth with normal saliva flow the calcium is replenished and the teeth are not weakened.

A second solution is to not consume staining food and beverages in the first place. Recently a couple guys from Slovakia developed clear coffee. I haven’t tried it, but I have a hunch that it will be about as popular as Crystal Pepsi (yeah, if you don’t remember that was a think back in the ’90s).