YUCK! How To Prevent Coffee Stains On Your Teeth

There was a study done recently and coffee was the most recognizable smell followed by peanut butter and a rose. It's hard to argue that because I can tell when my office mates are brewing special coffee flavors especially if it's pumpkin spice.

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It brings a smile to my face and my day just seems to get off to a good start. When I was young, I remember the first time that I tried a cup of coffee. My Aunt Doris offered me a sip, so I tried it and INSTANTLY spit it back in the cup...Needless to to say, she didn't finish that cup of coffee.

As I get older, I started to appreciate it more. In fact I try to remember when I didn't need coffee to function and my back didn't hurt but that's a story for another day. A day without coffee is like...Who are we kidding, most of us have no idea what that's like. So we enjoy our coffee but it can do a number on your teeth. YUCK!

In fact, most people would rather be late for work and get yelled at by their boss than do without your morning coffee. Is that you? It not only makes your teeth look bad but can do a number of your protective tooth enamel. Your enamel has tiny holes and ridges that coffee can get into and can cause staining. So what do we do?

We want/need our coffee but we don't need the stains on your teeth. Here are some tips that you can try:

Preventing Coffee Stains On Teeth

Rinse with water - This can do two things for you. This will reduce the risk of staining on your teeth and it can help to take away that awful smelling coffee breath. There's nothing worse then talking to a friend that has been drinking coffee. Do we tell them or not? I know that I would want to know.

Wait a half-hour to brush your teeth - I have a friend that whenever he's done drinking his coffee for the morning, immediately goes and brushes his teeth. I actually thought that was a good idea, as I mentioned earlier, there's almost nothing worse then coffee breath.

According to the Jackson Ave Dental,  brushing your teeth right away can damage the enamel and dentin. The effect is only temporary and the enamel will start to harden within 30 minutes.

So it's best to wait 30 minute after drinking coffee (or other acidic drinks) before brushing your teeth. So rinse your mouth (see above), take a mint or just stay away from others.

Sip coffee through a straw - I'm okay with that if it's cold coffee but I've yet to see ANYONE drink hot coffee through a straw. Using a straw reduces the amount of coffee that touches your teeth. The idea behind it is good but the optics are not. It's hard to look suave when your drinking your hot pumpkin spice coffee through a straw.

These are just a few ways to prevent coffee stains on your teeth but there are many other suggestions and you can read about them here. You know what I what could for now? Yep, a nice cup of coffee.