What’s making your smile less bright and white? Tobacco, coffee, poor health, and aging are what most people think of, but the food we eat can also lead to dimmer smiles. It isn’t just junk food – even foods most of us consider healthy and nutritious can stain our teeth!

So even if you’re a non-smoker and in good health (who somehow makes it through the day without a little java), your smile can still lose its brightness.

Foods that Can Stain Your Teeth

Blueberries

Blueberries are a “superfood” that we’d never ask you to stop eating. They’re just as good fresh as they are in pies and cobblers, but there is a downside: that appetizing blue pigment can stick to your enamel, leading to a smile that’s less bright. The same can be said for blackberries, cherries, or any berry that’s known for it’s bright color and juiciness.

Beets and Beet Juice

Another superfood that should be on your plate (but also on your teeth stain watch list) are beets. Beets are said to reduce the risk of heart disease, but as a juice they’re even more beneficial. The bright red of beets is caused by the pigment betanin. It’s harmless, but it can stain your teeth (especially in juice form).

Tomato Sauce

Tomatoes are great (they may even help you avoid certain kinds of cancer), but tomato sauces (including ketchup) can seriously stain your teeth. Tomatoes are bright red and very acidic, both of which are major contributors to teeth staining.

Walnuts

Walnuts are another healthy food you shouldn’t go out of your way to avoid (they’re high in Omega-3 fatty acids), but they do stain your teeth.

Coffee

We’re including coffee here (even though it’s a well-known teeth-stainer) because a recent report from the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion has just put coffee and its health benefits in the spotlight. If we’re supposed to be drinking more coffee, you can bet that our smiles will pay for it.

Make an Appointment Today!

Healthy shouldn’t come at the cost of your smile. Fortunately, we here at Santa Fe Dental offer Zoom!™ Whitening. In less than an hour, your smile will be back to it’s original brilliance.

Shouldn’t your smile reflect your good health? Click here to schedule an appointment to see us at our Edmond, OK office today, or to learn more about the Zoom!™ procedure and our other whitening options. You can also call us at 405-757-2030.

We look forward to helping your smile shine!