If you’re a coffee or tea drinker, you may be curious what your favorite morning beverage is doing to your teeth. Coffee and tea can both have an impact on your tooth health, and they’re certainly liable to stain your teeth. So the question becomes, what beverage is best for your tooth health, and what beverage is worst for the look of your smile? As your cosmetic dentist and dental health specialist, here are the pros and cons of coffee and tea:
Coffee
Coffee gets a bad rap for being an acidic beverage. It’s true, coffee is acidic, and it’s liable to wear away tooth enamel over time. However, it does have polyphenols, natural chemical compounds that attack and remove harmful plaque. On the other hand, coffee can wreak havoc on your teeth, cosmetically speaking that is. Over time, coffee will stain your teeth yellow and brown.
Black Tea
Black tea is better than coffee as far as acidity goes. Black tea is still acidic, but it is packed with those plaque-fighting polyphenols, so it’s not a terrible beverage for your oral health. Again, black tea can stain teeth, although its effects will be less notable than coffee stains.
Green Tea
Green tea is the best option. Green tea is less acidic than coffee; it’s packed with tooth-healthy polyphenols, and it’s least likely to stain your chompers. If you’re looking for the right breakfast beverage to boost your morning as well as boost your dental health and cosmetic appearance, count on green tea.
