Learn More From Our Glendale Dentists About How Your Morning Cup of Coffee Can Affect Your Smile

Written by Dr. McKay on Aug 14, 2018

Sometimes, the biggest changes to our smiles come not from dramatic accidents or dental traumas, but from day to day habits and substances that compound over time. For example, your daily cup (or cups!) of coffee may be leading to aesthetic and structural changes with your teeth. Keep reading to learn more from our Glendale dentists.

As you probably already know, coffee has the potential to stain natural dental enamel. Dental discoloration related to coffee may appear as dark streaks, or a general darkening of the visible tooth. In order to minimize this type of dental staining, you can try to drink coffee through a straw. Sipping discoloring substances through a straw allows you to minimize enamel exposure to these substances. It can also be helpful to rinse your mouth with water directly after finishing your coffee. This helps your smile in two ways:

  • First of all, it clears away remaining coffee that is coating the teeth and gum tissue
  • Additionally, rinsing your mouth with water boosts saliva production, and saliva is designed to re-mineralize dental enamel and neutralize bacteria

You can also be mindful of how and when you consume coffee in order to support your oral health. For example, it’s better for your smile for you to drink coffee in one specific sitting, rather than sipping continuously throughout the day. When you drink non-stop during the day, you’re giving the oral bacteria in your mouth even more time to feed and grow.

Speaking of bacteria, black coffee is the healthiest option in the sense that it isn’t that appealing and useful for oral bacteria. As soon as you start adding sweeteners, creamers, and other embellishments to your coffee drink, you give the oral bacteria in your mouth a little boost. That’s the exact opposite of what we want to do!

Our Glendale dentists are here to help you care for your smile in our office, and every day at home. We’re happy to give you any additional information and support that you need to improve your oral health. The best way to get started is to call our dental team to schedule a personal consultation. You can also use the Contact Us page on our website to submit an inquiry for our dentists.