You have a problem. You love coffee, but you also want to have whiter teeth. But coffee is a drink that can stain your teeth more than most other beverages. If you would like to have white teeth and also avoid staining your teeth, you will need to go on the offensive against the tannins in coffee that cause the coffee stains.

Improve Your Oral Hygiene

Good oral hygiene is the most essential requirement. You can remove much of the tannin from your teeth before it can cause stains. Whitening toothpaste can be effective at removing surface-level stains. However, you will not want to brush your teeth immediately after drinking coffee. Instead, you will want to brush your teeth about 30 minutes after having coffee or food in general. This is because coffee contains acids that you can brush into your teeth, causing more serious acid erosion.

Keep the Coffee Away from Your Teeth

Preventing the coffee from contacting your teeth is another way to reduce the staining affects of coffee. While drinking the coffee, simply try to drink it in a way that minimizes how much coffee will come in contact with your teeth. For example, using a straw can be helpful. However, this will not completely protect your teeth, because some of the coffee ends up on your tongue and is then transferred to your teeth.

Dilute the Coffee with Milk or Cream

If you enjoy milk or cream in your coffee, go ahead and add as much as you want. This will dilute the coffee and reduce the impact that it has on your teeth.

Drink Quickly

Rather than drinking coffee all day, try to drink your coffee during a specific break period so that you can then rinse your mouth or brush your teeth. This reduces the amount of time that the tannins remain on your teeth, staining them. Also, if you drink your coffee as quickly as possible, this will also reduce the extent to which your teeth are stained.

Decide Whether You Should Bleach

If you are thinking about teeth bleaching, first look at your teeth to determine the color. If your teeth are yellow, you will be able to bleach your teeth to make them look much whiter. However, if your teeth are gray, it is likely that teeth whitening will not be able to fix this. The best option, then, will be to get veneers that completely cover up your stained teeth.

For more information on keeping your teeth white and clean, contact a local dentist like George S Cochran DDS.