Duncan, OK, dentist Dr. Matthew Bridges settles the great coffee and teeth debate! He looks forward to answering your questions and concerns regarding coffee and teeth at your next scheduled dental appointment at Chisholm Trail Smile Center.

Coffee is mildly acidic.

Many people wonder if coffee is bad for the teeth. Compared to pure water with a pH of 7, black coffee has a pH of 5. Therefore, acidic coffee can weaken your enamel.

Never fear! You have virtually nothing to worry about as long as you brush your teeth after drinking your morning coffee and consume a balanced diet.

Also, consider swirling in a bit of milk if you’re worried about acidity. Adding milk to your coffee raises the pH of your cup of joe from 5 to 6. Plus, a little milk in your coffee is easy to supplement a little calcium to your diet.

Coffee can stain your teeth.

There’s no sugar coating it: coffee stains your teeth. Coffee contains tannins, micronutrients found in plant-based foods that decompose in water. Tannins cause color compounds to stick to the teeth, leaving bothersome yellow staining. Although this surface-level staining is not necessarily destructive, it can be lifted with whitening treatments.

Black coffee might help prevent tooth decay.

If you love coffee, stick with primarily black coffee. Although coffee is acidic, you might be surprised to discover that one study boasted coffee’s antibacterial and anticaries properties. Furthermore, researchers concluded that it could help prevent the development of dental caries, and subjects who drank black coffee had significantly less decayed, missing, and filled teeth, measured as a 2.9 DMFS (decayed, missing, and filled score).

Black coffee is healthier than coffee with milk and sweeteners.

In the same study, researchers found out that people that drink coffee with milk but no sugar had an average DMFS of 3.4. Comparatively, patients who drank coffee with sugar and creaming agents had a DMFS of 5.5.

Based on this study, we can assume that additives in coffee minimalize the positive effects. However, it’s better to have coffee with milk than with cream and sugar.

This study supports the well-known fact that beverages loaded with sugar (for example, fancy, sweetened coffee drinks) are much worse for your oral health than sugar-free drinks. Furthermore, sweetened coffee drinks combine the natural acidic trait of coffee with multiple spoonfuls of sugar. This fosters a breeding ground for the oral bacteria that cause cavities and gum disease.

Reverse Coffee Stains Right Now

In summary, coffee and teeth can have a healthy relationship as long as you brush your teeth after a cup of coffee and primarily stick to black coffee.

Are you a coffee lover with surface-level staining? If so, don’t panic! Dr. Bridges may be able to remove some of the extrinsic yellowing at your next preventive teeth cleaning and checkup appointment. Additionally, Dr. Bridges offers professional in-office and take-home whitening treatments for more dramatic results. Find out about your teeth whitening options by calling 580-255-4880 or messaging us online.

The post Coffee and Teeth: Should I be worried about my smile if I drink coffee daily? appeared first on Chisholm Trail.

More recently, dentists in the 1950s used to ask their patients to gargle with hydrogen peroxide to kill bacteria. The side effect of this practice was sparkling teeth. Thus, a $6 billion industry was born. 

What dental patients may not know is that DIY home whitening kits are much less effective than professionally supervised treatments. To learn more about teeth whitening, keep reading. 

Types of Tooth Discoloration

There are two types of tooth stains: extrinsic and intrinsic. Extrinsic stains come from outside sources like carbonated beverages, tea, coffee, and wine. These foods affect the external part of the tooth and teeth whitening is an effective treatment in this case. 

Intrinsic stains, on the other hand, affect teeth on a deeper level. They may stem from medications like Benadryl or antipsychotics, or they may be hereditary in nature. These deep stains do not respond to teeth whitening and may require veneers.

In-House Treatment or Take-Home KIts: Which is better?

Dentists want to help their patients boost their confidence with professional teeth whitening treatments. If patients would like to receive treatment in the office, they will see results right away. Professional whitening can make teeth up to eight shades lighter in about one hour. 

This transformation is possible because in-office whitening treatments have five times the amount of hydrogen peroxide as an over-the-counter whitening toothpaste. 

Another option for whitening treatment is a take-home kit. These are stronger than the kits available in stores but take two weeks to achieve in-office results. The outcome is the same, so the choice is up to the patient. 

How to Maintain a Dazzling Smile After Teeth Whitening

Stains from food will build up again over time, and patients will need teeth whitening treatments every six months or so. After a teeth whitening session, patients should avoid red wine, coffee, and cigarettes for at least 48 hours. 

Instead, they should follow the “white diet.” They can eat a variety of white foods including: 

• White fish
• Turkey or chicken
• Cauliflower
• Pasta, rice, and bread
• Egg whites
• Potatoes
• Milk

Dentists no longer recommend that their patients gargle with hydrogen peroxide, but there are medical-grade mouthwashes that can help keep smiles shining. Ideally, patients will cut back on smoking and drinking beverages like wine, soda, and tomato juice. 

Teeth whitening is not known for having adverse side effects, but patients may experience some gum inflammation right after treatment. Their teeth may be more sensitive for up to 24 hours after treatment. 

If you think you’re a good candidate for teeth whitening in Duncan, OK, talk to your dentist. They will help you decide which type of whitening treatment would be best for you.

Professional Teeth Whitening in Duncan, OK

Ready to boost your smile and your confidence? Dr. Matthew L. Bridges can help! 
Call us at (580) 255-4880 to schedule an initial consultation and discuss your teeth whitening options.

The post Your Guide to Teeth Whitening in Duncan, OK appeared first on Chisholm Trail.