Winter is here and most of us indulge in one or more coffees every day.    Maybe you’ve wondered if coffee is good or bad for your oral health?

Your Local Redcliffe Dentists at John Street Dental understand this and want you to consider these points.

Staining

Coffee can stain your teeth along with other food and drinks (like red wine, curries, tea, bolognese).  The good news is this type of staining is mostly on the external surface of the tooth and can be easily removed by your Local Redcliffe Dentist with a scale and clean.  Some people have more staining than others and this can be due to the types of bacteria that lives in our mouths, the types of enzymes in our saliva and the foughness of the surface of our tooth enamel.

It should be understood that the basic colour of teeth is not significantly affected by staining.  So if teeth appear dark, yello or even greyish, reducing your coffee consumption won’t necessarily help. The most effective way to whiten teeth is by seeking a professional teeth whitening or bleaching, as the produce the best results long term and in a safe way.

Dehydration

It is important to maintain a high water intake during the day and a have an extra glass of water for every cup of coffee that you drink.  Caffiene in a drug that removes water from body cells and directs it to the bladder, causing dehydration.  When we are dehydrated, the glands such as the ones producing saliva have reduced capacity.  Saliva is incredibly important to our oral health as it reduces damage from acid attack, tooth decay and protects our mouths from other oral diseases.

Sugar Intake

The good news is, if you don’t have sugar in your tea or coffee,  the risk of tooth decay is significantly lower.

If you do add sugar, its important not to spend the day taking regular sips, as this prolongs the sugar attack on our teeth.   It would be beneficial to your oral health to reduce the amount of sugar you add to your coffees, if not wean yourself off it completely. If you really prefer a sweet addition to coffee, consider adding an artificial sweetener as they don’t encourage decay as sugar does.

So enjoy those winter coffees but consider reducing the sugar you add and increasing your water intake.

Call your Local Redcliffe Dentists at John Street today on 07 3284 4281 or book online to come in for a scale and clean or discuss tooth whitening.