Whether hot, iced, or frozen, many people enjoy coffee at least once a day. This beverage has become a cultural staple around the world. But despite its popularity, many people do not know that coffee could create a risk to your good oral health.
While coffee could harm your teeth and gums, you can combat these dangers when you understand the threats they can pose. With your dentist’s guidance, you can still have coffee without hurting your smile. Read on to find tips from your dentist that can help you avoid dental problems that coffee might cause if you are not careful.
Look Out for Dental Stains
Coffee has a naturally dark color, even after brewing. It gets its darkness from bitter substances called tannins. As you drink coffee, tannins can transfer to your teeth and absorb into your enamel, the outer layer of your teeth, which can leave stains behind on the teeth’s surface.
You cannot remove this dental discoloration with your usual oral hygiene regimen because the tannins penetrate deep into the tooth. You can reduce the risk of staining your teeth while drinking coffee by choosing a lighter-colored brew, sipping through a straw, or adding milk to your cup. But these efforts will not eliminate the danger entirely.
You may need to limit the amount of coffee you consume regularly to avoid staining your smile. Pay attention to your smile’s appearance and consult a cosmetic dentist if you see discoloration begin to form on your teeth. Your dentist can intervene and brighten your smile once again with teeth-whitening solutions.
Avoid Added Sugar in Coffee
Coffee has a bitter taste on its own, so many drinkers will add sugar to their cup of coffee to enhance its flavor. While the sweetness may be appealing, sugar famously hurts your teeth over time. Sugar becomes acidic when it reacts with saliva, and the resulting acid will erode your tooth enamel.
This weakening of the teeth will leave your smile vulnerable to cavities and other dental dangers. A dentist can treat a cavity with a dental filling, but, ideally, you should preserve the natural structure of your smile for as long as you can. So dentists suggest avoiding added sugar wherever you can, including in your coffee.
Drink Water Along with Coffee to Prevent Complications
Many people appreciate that coffee contains caffeine, which can provide an energy boost to help them get through busy days. But caffeine will also dehydrate you, which can lead to many health concerns, especially for your smile.
Low levels of hydration will mean you produce less saliva. You will then be left with dry mouth. The resulting dry oral environment allows your mouth’s natural bacteria to spread with greater ease. Then you can experience a higher chance of contracting oral infections like gum disease.
This infection of the gum tissue can cause lasting damage to your gums, teeth, and jawbone and even leave you with tooth loss. You will need a dentist to treat the problem. But you can avoid it by eliminating risk factors for gum disease like dry mouth. Drink plenty of water along with coffee to stay hydrated.