Coffee and red wine are two of life's simple pleasures, but they are also two things that can result in stained teeth. Some of your favorite foods are likely culprits as well. The good news is that you do not necessarily need to avoid these things completely. Keep reading to learn some tips on how you can minimize teeth stains, especially after a teeth whitening session.

Opt for White Wine Instead of Red

Anything that is acidic will erode your tooth enamel, which will then allow the colored components of that food or drink to stain your teeth. Tannins, which can be found in tea leaves, tomato skins, and grape skins, will encourage those components to stick around in the mouth, staining your teeth. Red wine is guilty of all three of these things! White wine is a bit less damaging to the teeth, but it is still acidic. Because of this, you should consume wine in moderation.

Eat Cheese While Drinking Wine

When you do indulge in a glass of wine, try to make sure that you eat some cheese at the same time. The reason for this is that the cheese will help in neutralizing the wine's acidity, ultimately acting as a barrier and protecting your teeth from those coloring components. You should also drink a lot of water, as this will help to rinse away those components and add fluoride to your teeth to strengthen them.

Avoid the Green Tea

Coffee is well known for staining your teeth, but were you aware that the same components in coffee are also found in green tea? It's true, the components that make green tea nutritious are what speeds up the staining of the teeth. Green tea leaves contain a large amount of tannins. In fact, these leaves have more tannins than coffee. Due to the fact that green tea is dark in color and has mild acidity, green tea is actually—believe it or not—worse when it comes to the encouragement of the coloring components sticking to the teeth.

Drink From a Straw

While there is no scientific evidence behind this, drinking sugary and acidic beverages from a straw can help in protecting your teeth, especially if they have been recently whitened. The reason for this is that it helps in directing the beverage behind the front of your teeth. Therefore, drinking from a straw can help keep you from having to give up your favorite beverages completely.

For more information on how to keep your teeth looking fresh after getting your teeth whitened or just in general, contact a family or cosmetic dentist.