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10 Foods And Drinks That Are Secretly Making Your Teeth Yellow

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Smile goals [Photo: Rex Features]

If you want to keep up with the Kardashians in the smile stakes, you need to keep your pearly whites, well, white. And while the teeth whitening market is groaning with new products and procedures, there’s a much easier way to prevent stains from the get-go. For a start you can avoid these ten foods that turn your teeth from brilliant white to beige. Because beige teeth are so not the smile goals.

Curry

Time to ditch your Friday night takeaway? “The spices in curry are often deep red and yellow colours which can stain teeth,” explains Dr Bruno Silva at Brighton Implant Clinic. He suggests brushing your teeth straight afterwards. “You can also reduce the staining of curry by eating fresh fruit like apples, carrots and celery afterwards,” he added.

Coffee and Tea

Whether you’re a latte lover or a tea chugger, overloading on your favorite hot beverage can cause staining. That’s because the pigments in both coffee and tea can stain your teeth yellow. “Regular consumption will make your teeth yellow as the stain causing chemicals within these can cling onto the teeth,” explains Sandeep Senghera, Head of Dentistry, WhatClinic.com. “Long term consumption leads to the teeth becoming permanently yellow.” Yikes!

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Certain foods can make your teeth appear yellow [Photo: Rex Features]

Tomato Sauce

“Tomato sauces because of their acidity, tend to stick to teeth,” advises Dr Raha Sepehrara, principal dentist at Dental Suite clinics. “Their bright red colour means they contain a high amount of chromogens.” The fix? Eat these foods in moderation and rinse your mouth straight afterwards.

Berries

Good for your health, terrible for your teeth, thanks to their coloured pigments that can stick to the enamel on your pegs. “Berries usually have a deep colour and contain lots of tannins,” explains Dr Sepehrara.

Beetroot

“I always think that if something would stain a cream carpet, then it’s likely to stain your teeth too,” says Arvin Mirzadeh of Vitality Dental. And just imagine the damage beetroot could do to a cream carpet?! Sandeep Senghera recommends rinsing the mouth with water straight after eating beets to reduce stain build up.

Red Wine

Yep, yet another fun time fave is a no-go on the whiter teeth list. “Foods containing tannins - substances which derive from plants and make it easier for stains to adhere to tooth surface – can increase staining. Red wine in particular contains a high amount of both tannins and chromogens – substances with strong pigments which adhere to enamel - and is highly acidic,” explains Dr Raha Sepehrara.

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Because yellow teeth are not the ones [Photo: Rex Features]

Anything containing food colouring

“The basic rule I follow when advising patients on which foods to avoid to minimise teeth staining is this - steer clear of foods which you would not want to spill on your clothing,” says Dentist Tariq Idrees, owner of Carisbrook Dental in Manchester. “If food leaves a stain on a white T-shirt, it will also stain your teeth. So avoid acidic foods, which are rich in colour. These tends to be rich in tannins which leave a layer of stain on your teeth,” he adds. Minimise the damage by cleaning your teeth straight after eating these foods.

Smoothies

“Many ‘healthy’ foods and drinks, like smoothies, are highly acidic,” explains Dr Dermot McNulty, Clinical Director, Bath Spa Dentistry. “When we eat and drink acidic foods and drinks, the pH in our mouth is lowered and as a consequence the enamel is eroded away exposing more and more dentine. This process known as acid erosion is one of the main causes of yellow teeth.”

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Red wine, white teeth’s worst enemy [Photo: Rex Features]

Sports Drinks

While they might help up the ante on the treadmill, sports drinks can have a negative effect on your not-so-pearly whites. “Sports drinks have a very high sugar component. The sugar often assists plaque to stick to teeth causing long term stainin,” explains Dr Mervyn Druian of the London Centre for Cosmetic Dentistry. “Also, sugar breaks down into acid causing enamel erosion and then long term staining, which can’t be polished off.”

Mouthwash

Ok, not strictly a food and you don’t actually drink it, but surprising none the less. You’d expect mouthwash to help whiten your teeth but certain ones can have the opposite effect. “Chlorhexidine based mouth wash e.g. Corsodyl, acts like a magnet for food and smoking stains,” explains Sandeep Senghera, Head of Dentistry, WhatClinic.com.

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