It’s estimated that the average American consumes 2.7 cups of coffee per day. And it begs the question... what does coffee do to your teeth?

Dr. Zebro of Magnolia Dental in Greenville, South Carolina shares some insights about coffee, teeth, and how cosmetic dentistry can help restore your gorgeous smile!

Stains, stains, go away!

Much like wine, coffee is chock-full of tannins. These are the molecules that are responsible for staining. A good rule of thumb – if it can stain your clothes, it can certainly stain your teeth. So when drinking coffee, consider using a straw. As silly as it seems, this helps tasty (and necessary) beverages bypass your teeth.

Also, make sure that you brush your teeth after your morning cup of joe. Not only will this help you avoid the dreaded “coffee breath”, it will remove the tannins that are sitting on your teeth, and help prevent stains.

It’s feeling acidic in here…

Coffee is slightly acidic, and regular coffee consumption can change the pH of your mouth, contributing to a more acidic environment. These acids can damage the enamel of your teeth, and contribute to tooth decay.

To mitigate these effects, avoid sipping coffee all day long. Instead, have your morning cup in one sitting, and brush afterward. This minimizes the time that acids can build up in your mouth, and contributes to a healthier smile!

Watch the sweets.

35% of coffee drinkers in the US drink black coffee. But the majority of us load up on creamer, milk, and sugar to avoid the bitter flavor of most coffee blends. As tasty as these additions may be, they can be quite harmful to your teeth. Refined sugar is one of the greatest contributors to oral bacteria. And drinking sugary coffee can contribute to gum disease, plaque buildup, and tooth decay.

We recommend avoiding cream and sugar altogether. At the very least, try to reduce your overall consumption of refined sugars to help mitigate tooth decay. You’ll find that you crave the additives less if you don’t use them as often.

Call the pros.

Are you a die-hard coffee drinker? Has your six-cups-a-day habit given you stained teeth? Don’t worry! Almost all cosmetic surface stains can be removed with teeth whitening services from Magnolia Dental!

At our gorgeous, spa-like facility, our team can treat your surface stains with an in-office or at home teeth whitening process, giving you a brighter, more confident smile!

Call us at 864.242.2848 and get the smile you deserve!