Come on! I know how movie nights are. It feels great when you’re having all the late-night fun with your mates. But I don’t think your morning meetings are going to love that. Then how will you kick the sleepy vibe out of your body? I know coffee is the first word that’s roaming on the corridor of your brain.
But hold on a sec, mate! Do you even know what your favorite drink is doing to your teeth? Don’t tell me you’ve had the question ‘is coffee bad for your teeth’ in your mind. If the answer is no, then get ready to swallow some sour truth on this daily drink of yours.
Why Coffee Is the Villain in Your Teeth-story?
Do you know how many cups of coffee are being consumed every day in the world? It’s 2.25 BILLION a day! Sounds crazy right? But that’s true. Unfortunately, that’s not the friendliest drink on earth, especially for your teeth. Let me tell you why and how.
Staining
If the smile is a universal language, doesn’t it make the teeth its words? Then tell me, would you like to have your words stained? But the harsh truth is, that’s what the coffee is doing to your teeth.
Any drink that comes with the capability to stain your teeth has certain elements within to do that. In your coffee story, that villain is called the tannins. It’s a kind of polyphenol that comes with the feature of breaking down in the water. You might’ve heard the name before as they’re common in wine and tea as well.
Tannins cause color compounds that can stick to the teeth. Once these compounds go to your teeth, you might get to see the yellow hue behind. Already sounding yucky? But there’s more to it.
You’re probably thinking, after how many cups of coffee those stains can actually appear. Then embrace yourself for the shock. It’s just one cup of coffee! Yeah, you heard me right. If you take a cup of coffee per day, you’ve got a good chance to get those stains on your teeth.
Enamel Erosion
Have you ever heard of the word firewall? It protects our computers or virtual entities from getting attacked. Just like that, the enamel is the firewall for your teeth. It protects your white crushers from getting damaged by any external hazards.
But once they’re worn down, your teeth become more prone to damages and diseases. If you’re a coffee lover and have several cups of coffee in a day, then it can break your enamel down. If you’re familiar with the sensitivity problems, then it will get worse once the enamel gets weaker.
Bad Breath
The only bad thing you can literally feel within the shortest time after consuming coffee is the bad breath. In case you don’t know what causes bad breath generally, then let me tell you about that. It’s the food that sticks to our tongues. Unfortunately, coffee is on that list as well.
The longer they’ll stay on your tongue, the higher the possibility of having bad breath will rise. If you’re a frequent coffee drinker, then get ready to have bad breath for the whole day.
When Coffee Is the Savior?
You don’t want to quit taking coffee forever? Don’t worry, there’s good news for you. Even though it has got some drawbacks, it also has got a few good sides as well.
Bacteria Killer
It’s been confirmed through research that, coffee is capable of killing the bacteria on our teeth. Sounds like a light of hope? In research by the Federal University, Rio, Brazil, it’s been proved that Robusta coffee has the capability of eliminating the bacteria that grows on your teeth. Now that’s good news, isn’t it?
Anti-Cancer Potentiality
It’s been claimed by the American Cancer society that, coffee lovers are less prone to oral cancer. The percentage of possibility speaks for itself. There’s 49% less chance of you getting infected with oral cancer if you usually take 4 or more cups of coffee in a day.
Don’t run to the Starbucks just yet. I’m talking about black coffee. With milk and sugar, it’s still as good as nothing.
How to Make Coffee Your Friend Again?
I know it’s not easy to quit on your favorite drink. But before you give it up completely, let me tell you, there’s a way to hold on to your coffee habit. All you need to do is follow some guidelines.
Cut Off the Sugar and Milk
Coffee indeed feels amazing with all those cream, sugar, and milk on it. But they’re the same things that are making your coffee nothing more than a hot cup of sweet water. Sounds mortifying, but they’re killing the anti-bacterial potentiality of your coffee. So, you better get rid of them or the beverage itself.
Limit the Cups Per Day
Cut your coffee consumption shorter. Don’t go for more than two cups in a day. Otherwise, get ready to run to your dentist and lose some bucks.
Regular Checkup
Go to your dentist for a checkup every 6 months. Maybe you’re not facing any issues with the teeth yet. But if you want to keep it that way, then you better seek an appointment.
Neutralizing the Acid
The moment you have coffee, try to rinse the mouth with water on the next. You can try a piece of cheese for neutralizing the acid as well.
Brushing Schedule
One of the common mistakes we often do is brushing our teeth right after having food or drinks. But to have the effect of brushing properly, you should wait for a while.
As we’re talking about coffee here, you should brush your teeth (if you need to) after passing one complete hour after having the drink. It’ll give your enamel enough time to get back its strength.
Enamel-Strengthening Toothpastes
As coffee is not the best friend of the enamel of your teeth, you better give them something to protect themselves. Yes, I’m talking about the Enamel-strengthening toothpaste. Most of the dentists suggest those to coffee lovers, as they know what coffee can do to the enamel.
Routine Scaling
If you’ve already got the stains on your teeth from your favorite beverage, then make sure that you’re going through routine scaling. If you don’t have the stains yet, still do it as that’ll keep your teeth healthy.
Drinkwater
Every time you get a cup of coffee, drink a glass of water once you’re done. It’ll clean up the coffee a bit and keep you hydrated.
Using Tooth Whiteners
If you’re in a rush, but still need to get rid of those coffee stains from your teeth, then you can go for the tooth whiteners. They’ll get your teeth’ natural color back for sure.
Final Words
Look, I know you love coffee! But loving it won’t save you from the problems that it’ll cause. So, rather than living within the question ‘is coffee bad for your teeth or not“, you better start working on the issues it might create.
I’ve given you everything you needed to know. Now it’s your time to decide whether you’re going to ‘live’ it or ‘leave’ it.
Related Article:
Ref:
- https://bestlincroftdentist.com/blog/coffee-and-your-teeth-good-or-bad/
- https://www.healthline.com/health/dental-and-oral-health/what-does-coffee-do-to-your-teeth#other-pitfalls
- https://www.badiedental.com/blog/the-great-dental-debate-is-coffee-bad-for-your-teeth
- https://www.northsydneydentalpractice.com.au/coffee-bad-teeth/
