Over time, your teeth might lose their white sparkle. Some popular foods and beverages contain a component called tannins, which erode the enamel that protects your teeth, causing discoloration. While it's common, yellowing or staining are avoidable and easy to mitigate, but education is the first step. Here's a bit more information about tannins and how to protect your teeth against them with proper dental care. 

A Guide to Tannins and Oral Health Care

About Tannins

Tannins give certain foods and drinks their taste and color. These properties also interact with other components, such as carbs, sugars, fats, and proteins, allowing the tannins to become sticky and latch onto the enamel. The reaction with the sugar in particular can cause plaque buildup and tooth decay, which can also lead to discoloration. Since tannins are responsible for the color in some foods and drinks, it can also lead to that same color latching onto the tooth's surface.

Foods and Beverages With Tannins

Many favorite and most commonly ingested foods and beverages contain tannins. Some items on the list include cherries, tea, coffee, curry, and soy sauce. Wine is also on the list, which comes as no surprise, since tannins are typically discussed when a bottle is cracked open. Red wine is especially prone to causing discoloration. 

How to Avoid Discoloration

Moderating your consumption of these foods and drinks can help, but so can cutting certain items with non-tannin options. For instance, putting milk in your coffee or tea can help break up the tannins in your mouth before they attach to the surface of the teeth.

Drink plenty of water in between glasses of wine and during tannin-heavy meals. Biannual trips to the dentist for a deep cleaning can help, as can teeth whitening solutions. A dental care routine at home, including flossing, brushing, and using mouthwash can help keep your enamel strong and your teeth white. 

If you're interested in a teeth whitening consultation at your next dental cleaning, visit Ronald W. Ristow, DDS, LLC in Oconto Falls, WI. This experienced dentist proudly serves patients throughout Oconto County and the surrounding areas, offering comprehensive routine exams as well as extraction, emergency relief, dental implants, and whitening services. Call (920) 846-3163 to schedule a dental care appointment, and text JOIN to (920) 249-5938 for the latest updates. Find out more about their services by visiting them online.