Working With A Great Dentist
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Working With A Great Dentist

I have always been one of those people who loves to get out into the world and talk with other people, but a few years ago, I realized that I had to do something about my smile. My teeth were yellow and unattractive, and it was really discouraging to see how much different my smile was. I knew that I needed to get my teeth fixed, so I started working with a professional dentist to make things right. Within a few short months, my smile was completely transformed, and I knew that I owed it all to my dental professional. Check out this blog for more information about working with a dentist.

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Working With A Great Dentist

How to Remove and Prevent Coffee Stains on Your Teeth

Harper Hughes

Stains on your teeth are often unsightly and can rob you of your beautiful, white smile. One of the leading causes of stained teeth is coffee. While light coffee drinkers often only have to contend with staining that can easily come off with regular brushing, long-term drinkers of the beverage often have deeper staining that can be daunting to remove.

Essentially, a group of molecules in coffee known as polyphenols attach themselves to tooth enamel and cause the staining over time. The good news is that you can continue to enjoy your daily fix of caffeine without getting your teeth stained and eliminate existing stains with the tips below.  

Preventative tips

Exposure of your teeth to large amounts of coffee is one of the main causes of deep staining, so opting for smaller serving sizes could make a huge difference, especially if you are an all-day coffee drinker. If you can't cut down on your intake of the beverage, consider taking iced coffee using a straw, as this helps most of the polyphenols to bypass the teeth. You can also reduce the staining by adding milk to your favorite beverage, as this essentially prevents too much staining. 

Another alternative is to opt for coffee that is made from Arabica beans, as they typically contain less staining molecules, especially when dry-processed. Brewing your coffee with finely ground beans could potentially increase the amount of stain-inducing molecules, so switching to a French press that uses coarser coffee could help reduce deep staining while saving you money on coffee filters. 

Professional tooth whitening

If your teeth are already deeply stained by coffee, rigorous tooth brushing will make little difference in removing deep stains. Your best shot at a white smile is to visit a dentist for professional whitening. The procedure is essentially effective because the dentist will usually examine the level of staining and assess the number of whitening trays/strips needed to get your teeth just right. This is different from at-home whitening kits that are often designed for generic customers, meaning they may be insufficient for your teeth and could cause improper whitening. 

Professional tooth whitening, including the procedures offered by dentists like Samuel D Knight, DDS, typically entails the use of strong bleaching agents that remove the deep coffee stains in just a few hours, which beats many at-home kits. Those kits use weaker bleaches and may take up to a week to whiten your teeth. The supervision at a dental office is also crucial to the success and safety of coffee stain removal, as it reduces the chances of over-bleaching, which could cause sensitivity or wear down your enamel. 


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