teastains?

[JazzNGreenTea]

Hello all, I have a question to ask about tea staining teeth. I have had major problems with very dark brownish stains collecting on my teeth since drinking a lot of tea. They are sometimes obvious as they collect on the front teeth, not to mention the unpleasantness of having them removed by the dentist at each visit. Including one run in with the "cavitron" which shoots a speedy jet of very cold water into your mouth for extended periods of time.

Does anyone else have this issue? Also, if so how do you manage it?

I have found a method that seems to be working, but I was just wondering if there were any other tricks, and also just wanted to know if this is a widespread issue. Also, does anyone have any theories on what might cause this? I was thinking that perhaps the enamel on my teeth is somehow worn down causing stains to cling easier but the dentist did not mention this...

My method is to brush my teeth directly after drinking tea or coffee with an electric toothbrush and baking soda toothpaste. This was suggested to me at the dentist office. It works fairly well, but it is a little irritating to immediately replace the nice tea aftertaste with baking soda and mint.

I hope this isn't a strange topic to post, but I was a bit curious about this and have not seen many posts on the topic.

[wyardley]

Baking soda (not baking soda toothpaste, but an actual paste of baking soda -- not every day, but up to a few times a week is Ok), and / or hydrogen peroxide. Rinsing your mouth with some water some water fairly soon after drinking tea would probably also be a good idea.

And /or visit the dentist often.

[depravitea]

How about using a straw?

[Intuit]

In my experience, it's also a function of the tea type (blacks being worst) and of water quality. Dissolved minerals may form insoluble complexes with the more oxidized teas. If your cup shows obvious staining afterwards when brewing blacks or med oxidized oolongs, you've got your culpable source for staining.

Edit: after moving recently, my tea cups became heavily stained after drinking just a few cups of tea if not scrubbed thoroughly. That, and diminished aroma and flavor were hints that water quality may have changed (teas and teaware being the same). Sure enough, on checking, I found that local public water supply well for my city subsection was rated very hard. I've commented on the scum that forms easily, another hint of the water being highly mineral.

Try using bottled water for making tea, if this is the case.

Tooth enamel hardness is also a factor. Talk to your dentist about tooth hardening mouth washes. Peroxide whiteners can damage thin enamel - talk to your dentist about using them.

Brush your teeth after drinking dark teas to avoid heavy staining, although it may not be that helpful if you like to do multiple infusions of your dark teas (time is a factor in staining, too). or you might try drinking more greens/white teas as an alternative.

[JazzNGreenTea]

Thank you everyone who commented regarding this topic. It is much appreciated.

Wyardly, to clarify, are you saying that I could use the baking soda a few times a week as well as using the toothpaste as I have been, or in replacement of the toothpaste?

Intuit, it never occurred to me that bottled water might be helpful. I had been using mostly tap water. That would be an easy change and would not hurt anything regardless of the outcome so I think I'll try that. There is a particular white mug that I sometimes use with black teas that stains very heavily.

Once again, thanks to everyone for their input. I'll keep trying different things to see what works best. Any other thoughts are welcome as well.

[wyardley]

Wyardly, to clarify, are you saying that I could use the baking soda a few times a week as well as using the toothpaste as I have been, or in replacement of the toothpaste?

As well as toothpaste. Don't forget the backs of your teeth... they get stained too.

[JazzNGreenTea]

Wyardley, thanks for the reply again. I will be trying out the advice given and see what works best long term.

[Chip]

If your tea is staining the cup as Intuit mentioned, it is more apt to stain teeth, I would think. So, goooo green.

[JazzNGreenTea]

Chip, is this that whole tea bully thing you warned me about? The green tea bullies are now after me to give up my morning cup of Irish Breakfast?

Back to being serious for a moment, I think that greens can be pretty staining as well, especially when I do multiple infusions and don't get a chance to brush my teeth for a while. I think Intuit also mentioned length of time exposed to the staining properties without brushing is a factor as well which might explain why I get the result of stains even with greens.

I'm going to experiment with using bottled water and see if it stains the mug or not. That will be interesting to see if this little change could possibly make a difference for me. I'll also keep doing my regimen as usual, and try the other suggestions. Should be interesting to see what makes a difference.

[Riene]

If your tea is staining the cup as Intuit mentioned, it is more apt to stain teeth, I would think. So, goooo green.

Does green tea stain your teeth green? I'm just askin'....

Chip, is this that whole tea bully thing you warned me about? The green tea bullies are now after me to give up my morning cup of Irish Breakfast?

Yes. Be warned. Do not succumb to their insidious plot and give up the wonderful Irish Breakfast!

[Intuit]

The large polyphenol derived complexes are present in partially oxidized and oxidized teas. Green tea won't stain your teeth. I went back and carefully amended my previous post to make sure that was clear.

Green and white teas are unlike to cause significant enamel staining, when compared to black/red teas.

If your tap water has an elevated fluoride content, as mine does, over time you can have tooth enamel mottling, an entirely different staining issue - if your teas also contain quite a bit of fluoride (caused by groundwater (uptake into some teas from China, SE Asia and India/Ceylon). Most commonly found in children's teeth as fluorosis damages enamel depositing tissues during tooth formation.

You can solve most of this issue with low mineral content water supply and a simple mouth rinse recommended by your dentist + regular cleaning visits.

"Candy, little girl?"
I don't want you to give up your Irish Breakfast, I just want you to work on developing a palate and appreciation for quality Indian and Ceylonese Black Teas.

[JazzNGreenTea]

Hi Intuit, thanks again for your insight. I'm afraid I have mislead you to believe that I jokingly called you a tea bully who wants me to stay away from black tea. I wish to clarify that I was only commenting on Chip's post, so please don't take that the wrong way. I apologize for not being clear on that. Perhaps I threw in a joke a little too early in my forum posting, and did not direct it towards the right person clearly enough.

I think you have been very helpful and knowledgeable in regards to my question, and all of your advice will be taken into consideration. You gave me some things to think about that I had never thought of.

In fact it's very interesting that you mention the fluoride as I had fluoride treatments at the dentist as a child. I'm not sure how common that procedure is for children.

I have to plead ignorance to the "Candy, little girl?" statement. I don't understand it's meaning so I am unable to give a response to that.

Also, I would love to experience more black teas, as well as greens. I will continue trying new black teas, perhaps just in moderation and with some extra care for my teeth. Indian teas are actually on my "expansion" list, and I really look forward to exploring them in depth.

Riene, green teeth would be pretty scary, but much more interesting. They might make a good conversation starter.

[sneakers]

One of my black teas is staining my mugs and even my steel travel mug badly. Haven't figured out the culprit yet. Intuit, do you recommend baking soda or baking soda toothpaste?

[Intuit]

I went looking for stain prevention mouthwashes yesterday. You use them to prevent staining before eating foods that contribute to enamel discoloration. Ironically, the instructions said not to eat or drink for several hours after use.

I'm wondering if the very hard tapwater here that I use for brushing my teeth is making the straining problem worse.

Yes, I use a baking soda toothpaste promoted as stain-fighting formula.