Posted: April 30, 2023
If you are like many people, drinking coffee or tea is part of your morning routine when to get started for the day or relax at night to wind down. Like many of these people, you might also be concerned with how drinking coffee or tea can affect your oral health or the whiteness of your smile.
To know how to best avoid negative oral effects from these drinks, it's important to understand how they affect our teeth and mouths. For both of these drinks, there are two primary concerns: the liquids' acidity and the temperature.
In general, coffee tends to be more acidic than tea. Though in both cases, frequent contact with teeth for long durations may slowly begin to etch into and weaken the enamel of your teeth. Rinsing with plain water after can help, though brushing is the best way to help reduce this effect.
The other main concern is with temperature. Though drinking iced coffee or iced tea avoids this issue, you can still enjoy a hot beverage without damaging your teeth. The heat from these liquids can make the effect of the acidity even stronger.
To reduce the acidity of both coffee and tea, a splash of milk or cream can make a big difference. If you are concerned with calories or fat content, non-fat milk works well, also. Working similarly to how it relieves upset stomachs caused by too much stomach acid, adding milk or cream to coffee or tea makes them much less acidic.
Another way to prevent harmful effects on your teeth and mouth is to drink coffee or tea through a straw, which can force the liquid past the fronts of your teeth and avoid the potential staining that can result.
Regular visits to the dentist's office are the best way to ensure a healthy mouth and smile. Call Forestream Dental in Depew, NY, at 716-656-8686 or visit www.forestreamdental.com to schedule an exam or learn how to keep a healthy and glowing smile.
