7 Foods and Drinks Used for Teeth Whitening

Healthy and bright teeth are essential for everyday things like eating, brushing, and smiling. Unfortunately, habits such as smoking and high consumption of pigmented items like coffee can easily damage your perfect smile. Tooth discoloration or staining is a key concern among millions of people.

Even if the teeth are healthy and fully functional, the stains can make you look unhealthy or feel self-conscious when speaking, talking, or laughing. It can negatively impact your self-esteem, career productivity, and overall quality of life.

Fortunately, there are treatments and techniques that you can use to get rid of the stains and restore your beautiful smile. For instance, with our professional teeth whitening in Westport, CT, you can brighten your teeth in less than 2 hours.

Similarly, the foods you eat can impact the health and appearance of your teeth. To preserve a brighter smile for many years, you can incorporate certain foods and beverages into your diet and stay clear of those that stain your teeth.

Foods and Drinks that Whiten Teeth

Below are foods and beverages that you can take to maintain or brighten your smile:

• Water

Water is perhaps the best beverage to maintain a healthy mouth and body. Water prevents teeth staining and other oral issues like bad breath, decay, and gum disease. Water keeps your mouth moist, helping to avoid a dry mouth.

A dry mouth increases your risk of tooth staining and bacteria attacks. Water also reduces the acidity levels in the mouth, significantly reducing the risk of enamel erosion and decay.

Besides drinking water for hydration, always swish water after eating or drinking pigmented and acidic meals like coffee, soda, red wine, apple cider, limes, and tea.

• Apples, celery, and carrots

An apple a day keeps your doctor away. It can also keep your dentist away. Chewing apples helps clean your teeth.

Similarly, apples contain malic acid, a common ingredient in specific toothpaste. Malic acids promote saliva production, helping prevent and remove tooth stains and keep your smile bright.

Other crunchy fruits like celery and carrots also scrub away bacteria and plaque from the teeth. They also stimulate saliva production and provide essential minerals and vitamins that strengthen your teeth.

• Pineapples

Pineapples are healthy and delicious. They also contain an enzyme called bromelain that breaks up plaque – a yellow sticky bacterial deposit accumulating on teeth and around the gum line. Eating pineapples will keep your teeth brighter and healthier.

• Cheese

Cheese and similar dairy products like milk and unsweetened yogurt will keep your teeth brighter and healthier. Exposed dentin can make your tooth appear yellowed or dull. These products are rich in calcium, phosphorus, and protein, crucial in repairing and re-mineralizing your teeth.

Similarly, dairy products stimulate saliva production, which helps wash away debris and bacteria from the mouth, preventing stains and decay. Be sure to avoid processed and high-fat cheese to reduce the risk of health complications like heart disease.

• Strawberries

While their bright color can make you shy away, strawberries contain malic acid, which works like a natural astringent and helps remove tooth stains. Due to the high concentration of malic acid, be sure to wait about 30 minutes to brush your teeth after eating strawberries and other acidic products. The high acidity can erode the tooth’s enamel over time, causing decay.

• Broccoli

Leafy greens are good for your overall health and can help you brighten your smile. Chewing broccoli helps clean plaque and bacteria from your teeth, keeping them bright. Broccoli is also rich in iron, which strengthens your teeth’ enamel, protecting them from bacteria, acids, and stains.

• Seed and Nuts

Chewing seeds and nuts provides an abrasive action that eliminates plaque and bacteria, making your teeth appear brighter. These products also contain essential minerals like calcium that help strengthen your teeth.

Foods to limit or avoid for a whiter smile

• Coffee and tea
• Curry
• Soda
• Dark berries
• Tomato-based sauces
• Smoking
• Fruit juices
• Energy drinks
• Red wine
• Apple cider vinegar

Schedule an Appointment Today with our dentist in Westport, CT

Do you need teeth whitening treatments? Contact Advanced Dental of Westport to book an appointment with the dentist in Westport, CT.