Baton Rouge Dentist

How Can I Limit Tea Stains on My Teeth?

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A cup of tea, for info on minimizing tea stains on teethI use whitening strips every six months, but I cannot keep up with the tea stains on my teeth. I drink about four cups of teeth daily. Will it help keep the stains away if I brush my teeth after I drink tea? What stain-removing toothpaste brands do you recommend? Thank you. Janelle from Douglasville, GA

Janelle,

Thank you for your question. We will give you some suggestions on how to minimize teeth stains from teeth while enjoying your tea.

How Can You Limit Tea Stains on Your Teeth?

You can minimize tea stains on your teeth with these precautions:

  • Avoid sipping on tea all day
  • Rinsing your mouth after you drink it
  • Choosing less acidic teas and limiting highly acidic teas
  • Avoid brushing your teeth immediately after drinking tea

Avoid Sipping Tea All Day

Sipping on tea all day increases stains on your teeth. It is best to consume tea in the morning rather than for a prolonged period.

Rinse Your Mouth After Drinking Tea

Rinse your mouth with water after you finish the tea. Water neutralizes the acid in your mouth and helps prevent erosion and demineralization. Water also promotes saliva production.

Avoid or Limit Highly Acidic Tea

Acid from tea lowers the pH of your mouth. Highly acidic teas will demineralize your teeth, causing them to lose calcium, phosphorous, and other minerals. Your tooth enamel and dentin, the layer beneath the enamel, will soften after drinking highly acidic tea but will harden as your saliva production increases.

Any tea below four on the pH scale is highly acidic and likely to promote tooth decay and acid reflux, which further erodes tooth enamel.

The average pH level of tea:

  • Black tea: 4.9-5.5
  • Green tea: 7-10
  • Herbal tea: 6-7
  • Fruit Teas: 2-3

Tea Has Health Benefits

Tea has health benefits, so you don’t need to stop drinking it. The March 2009 issue of the Journal of Periodontology published research that shows that people who drink green tea regularly have better periodontal (gums) health than people who do not drink the tea regularly. Healthy gums reduce the risk of oral infection, tooth decay, and tooth loss.

Avoid Brushing Your Teeth After Drinking Tea

Avoid brushing your teeth after drinking tea because the beverage lowers your mouth’s pH. If you brush while your teeth soften temporarily from demineralization, it can weaken and damage tooth enamel. If your tooth enamel becomes weak, talk to your dentist about fluoride treatment. You may find whitening toothpaste that removes surface stains from your teeth but beware of abrasive toothpaste that can scratch your tooth enamel. Whitening toothpaste cannot remove stains deeper than the tooth enamel.

Professional Teeth Whitening for Tea Stains

Thorough whitening can help your teeth stay whiter and longer. In-office or take-home teeth whitening from a dentist breaks down stubborn stains beneath the enamel. If you have limited success removing tea stains from your teeth, talk to a dentist about professional whitening.

Dr. Ryan Perry, a Baton Rouge family dentist, sponsors this post.

 

How Long Does Tooth Whitening Last?

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Hi there,

I got a free teeth whitening kit with custom trays as a promotion from my new dentist. At first, I was so pleased with the results after just a few weeks. My teeth looked so much brighter! However, it didn’t last very long — they’ve gone back to their usual shade. I’m due to go back in for a check-up anyway. Did my dentist give me a poor quality kit on purpose, so I’d come back in for a real whitening? Or is it just a coincidence?

Alice, from Versailles, Kentucky

 

Hi Alice,

The whitening kit you received was likely a professional-grade whitening kit. How long your teeth whitening lasts is based on several factors, such as:

  • Whether you drink coffee, tea, or red wine
  • Whether you eat dark-colored foods like tomato sauce, soy sauce, or curry
  • Whether you are a smoker

If you enjoy any of the above to excess, your teeth will stain more quickly. Enjoying them in moderation, along with healthy oral habits, will extend how long your teeth whitening lasts.

To prevent staining your teeth, try the following tips:

  • Avoid eating acidic foods — they will wear down your enamel faster
  • Brush your teeth after meals or at least 2-3 times a day
  • Avoid sipping on acidic beverages such as coffee or tea, or sugary beverages like cola or sports drinks. Drink them quickly, or use a straw to minimize contact. If you can, brush your teeth immediately after.
  • Cut back or quit smoking.

You can also use your whitening kit for a few days to get your teeth back to the shade you like, and talk to your dentist about your options at your next visit.

This blog post is brought to you by Baton Rouge teeth whitening provider, Dr. Ryan P. Perry.

What You Should Know About Charcoal Teeth Whitening

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Many people are interested in charcoal teeth whitening. The method is more popular than ever right now, thanks to You Tube. This type of teeth whitening is using activated charcoal, which is different than the type of charcoal used on a grill. Before you attempt this new whitening technique, you should understand some important aspects of the popular craze.

What You Should Know About Charcoal Teeth Whitening

It’s a natural and non-toxic teeth whitening technique. Charcoal is used in the medical field, and as a supplement. This method is safe to consume in small doses, and is believed to be a way to detox.

Charcoal is also absorbent. It works well for removing stains from teeth because they are just soaked away.

Unfortunately, it is not safe to use on your teeth. Charcoal’s abrasiveness can scratch through the enamel on your teeth. While the enamel is tough and protects, it’s not resistant to scratches. It is more abrasive than toothpastes, which come in varying degrees of abrasiveness, therefore could be damaging to your teeth.

Finally, there is conflicting information about whether or not it actually works as a teeth whitening method. While it some claim that is works to lighten teeth, nothing has been proven clinically, or been approved as a treatment technique. Unfortunately, if the enamel on your teeth is damaged, it will never return to the healthy protective state. This will lead to more sensitive and cavity-prone teeth. In addition, the results are not as noticeable as what you would see if you went to a dentist for the teeth whitening procedure.

Traditional Teeth Whitening Options

For those who aren’t interested in the charcoal teeth-whitening bandwagon, the traditional methods are dependable options.

Having your teeth whitened in a dental office is effective due to its potency. The solution opens up the dental tubules, similar to pores on your teeth, which are closed, then allows the substance to enter and increase the whitening power. Some patients experience sensitivity following this procedure, due to the tubules taking a few days to close, but side-effect can be lessened by using fluoride for a three to four weeks prior to treatment.

Another option is a take-home system. These systems are not as strong as those in the dental offices. Therefore teeth will take longer to lighten, and may not lighten to the degree than at in-office whitening would. However, it affords you the chance to stop the process if the sensitivity is bothering you.

This article is provided by the office of Baton Rouge teeth whitening dentist, Dr. Ryan Perry.

Can I whiten my teeth if I have fillings?

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Hello! I am a woman in my early fifties and am interested in whitening my teeth. However, I have a filling on one of my front teeth that is not the exact same color as my teeth. I am concerned that the filling will not whiten like my natural teeth. Will this be the case? If so, do I have any other options?

Thank you,

Karen

Dear Karen,

You are correct. The filling will not whiten. You can address this by first whitening your teeth. Then, after a couple of weeks have passed, have your filling resurfaced to match your whiter teeth. It is crucial that you wait a couple of weeks before doing this in order for the whiter tooth color to settle after bleaching. If you resurface too early, you’ll chance running into the same problem with the colors.

If you have any tooth decay, you will need to have this addressed with a dentist prior to whitening, then redo the fillings at a later date.

Are Whitening Toothpastes Safe?

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My sister in law tends to behave like she knows everything. It can get a little annoying. Recently I told her I’d been using a whitening toothpaste. She insists it will damage my teeth. Normally, I’d blow off her know-it-all comments, but in this case I worry she may know something I don’t. She’s a dental hygienist. Is she right? Will they damage my teeth?

Jenna T. – Virginia

Jenna,

I’m sorry you have a tense relationship with your sister-in-law.  Families can be challenging. Sometimes they annoy us without us even understanding why. The fact is, your gut assumption was right. Your sister-in-law had some extra information.

Most whitening toothpastes have an abrasive ingredient. While they are effective at removing surface stains, they have two downsides.

  1. They only remove surface stains. Most teeth stains are beneath the surface. You’ll need professional teeth whitening to truly get all those stains. I don’t know your age, but whatever it is you’ll be pleasantly surprised to find out how much younger that one simple cosmetic procedure makes us look. Professional level teeth whitening takes years off our smiles.
  2. It sabotages your efforts. That abrasive ingredient, while it may scrape off those surface stains, it also etches into your healthy enamel. This has the unfortunate side-effect of causing your feet to pick up more stains. It’s a vicious cycle:  Your teeth get stained, you brush with whitening toothpaste, the stains come off, but etch your teeth, which causes them to pick up more stains.

This blog is brought to you by Dr. Ryan Perry.

Does Supersmile Toothpaste Come without Fluoride?

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I was told that Supersmile toothpaste is a great professional whitening toothpaste that helps with keeping teeth white. I want to know if Supersmile toothpaste comes without fluoride?
– Shelly from Louisiana

Shelley,
Supersmile toothpaste is a great product for keeping stains off your teeth. However, there is a small amount of fluoride in all Supersmile products.

Fluoride is a naturally occurring mineral, and it’s next to impossible to avoid ingesting it. With toothpaste, you want to bathe your teeth briefly in a small amount of fluoride to help re-mineralize early decay spots. And you want to be sure to rinse and spit out the toothpaste. Fluoride is found in natural well water, canned juices, vegetables, milk and liquid products processed with water. In small amounts it’s okay but you want to avoid ingesting toothpaste.

To sum it up, you need not worry about the fluoride in Supersmile toothpaste as you will be brushing and rinsing your teeth and not swallowing the toothpaste.

This blog brought to you by Baton Rouge Family Dentist, Dr. Ryan P.Perry