How to combat teeth staining agents

As far back as the Middle Ages people have always wanted to have a nice pearly white smile, but because of certain factors practicing good oral hygiene alone can not keep your teeth that pearly white color. Our lifestyle choices and foods we eat affect the color of our teeth, as well as aging. Back in the Middle Ages a guy would file down your teeth and soak them in a concentrated solution of nitric acid. While that process does work, the process also destroys the tooth's enamel, which led to an increase of tooth decay.

Good thing we are not in the Middle Ages anymore. People in today's society want that pearly white smile, but they also want to keep their natural teeth for as long as they can. Because of the advances in our world we have discovered new ways to keep our teeth white and to minimize tooth decay.

Teeth staining agents can be foods, beverages, or other factors. Some common teeth staining agents are coffee, tea, dark sodas, tobacco use, dark foods, and acidic foods. Many of us use these products on a daily basis so most of us are at a high risk of having stained teeth. The good news is there are ways to fight these teeth staining agents.

Tip one:
Avoid all teeth staining agents. This one is obvious if we do not use the product we will not stain our teeth, but this one is not always practical.

Tip two:
Eating cranberries can actually prevent plaque from sticking to our teeth. With less plaque sticking to our teeth, the less the tartar can build up. The less tartar builds up the less our teeth become discolored from eating certain foods.

Tip three:
Brush your teeth after every meal. By brushing after every meal you can help to prevent stains from certain foods because the less time the food sits on your tooth the less time the stains have to soak into your tooth enamel.

Tip four:
Fruits such as melons, peaches, and other summer fruit that are high in water content can help prevent stains. They help to prevent stains because of the amount of water that is in the fruit. The higher water content helps to rinse your teeth while you are eating, which gives food less time to soak into your tooth enamel.

Tip five:
Teeth whitening is offered at almost every dentist office. It involves both work done at home and at the dentist's office, the work is done with a tooth whitening system. It is used to brighten stained, discolored or dull looking teeth. Most people who use this procedure are people who use tobacco, have a high caffeine intake, or are older in age so their teeth have lost their bright look. This process works to fight any kind of stain, but depending on how badly your teeth are stained depends on how many treatments you might need. You can also buy tooth whitening systems over the counter.

Tip six:
Veneers are really thin tooth coverings. They are made out of porcelain or composite materials and are glued to the front of your teeth. These work great for people who can not get the look they want with teeth bleaching. If you choose to go the route of veneers just keep in mind that if you do not cover all of your teeth and use a tooth whitening system you can get an uneven smile.

Regardless of how you choose to combat teeth staining agents the best advice is to limit the amount of foods and drinks that you are consuming that can cause the staining. For example if you get your teeth bleached and continue to drink a lot of dark sodas, coffee or tea, the stains can actually reappear about a month later.