As you sit across from and next to loved ones at the Thanksgiving table, you feel joy and gratitude, as well as a little concern about any off-color comments that might pop out from relatives. Your stomach aches with anticipation for the meal ahead. However, after dinner, will your white smile look less brilliant? Unfortunately, traditional holiday foods can noticeably stain your teeth. Keep reading to learn which dishes have the highest risk of discoloration and what you can do to have the best of both worlds: Thanksgiving feasting and a white smile.
Cranberry Sauce
A favorite seasonal dish, cranberry sauce is not only loaded with sugar but also consists of deeply pigmented cranberries. This dramatic color, unfortunately, can come off on your teeth.
Balsamic Vinegar
This deep, dark dressing is delicious and adds unique flavor to traditional dishes; however, in excess contact with your teeth, the color can become absorbed by your enamel, altering the whiteness of your smile.
Wine
Red wine particularly has a strong staining effect on your tooth enamel because of its deep pigment from red grapes. With prolonged and frequent exposure, your dentition can develop a more yellow appearance. Even white wine can eventually impact teeth negatively when it comes to coloration.
Coffee
Even when it’s combined with creamer and other ingredients, coffee is notorious for diminishing brilliantly white teeth. If you need a pick-me-up on this holiday morning or the following day to do some shopping, consider having just one cup with breakfast and drinking water for the rest of the day instead of sipping coffee throughout the day.
Berry Pies
What would Thanksgiving be without pie? Although these baked goods are delicious, they come loaded with sugar, which leads to bacterial growth and acid production in the mouth. These conditions perfectly set up your teeth for unsightly cavities and erosion. Berry pies, like raspberries and blueberries, are especially dangerous for radiant white teeth.
How to Enjoy Thanksgiving While Preserving Your Pearly Whites
For many families, avoiding these foods entirely goes against tradition and the spirit of the holiday. However, as with candy and other sweet foods, your dentist would recommend having just a little bit of these types of food and beverages to preserve a whiter smile. For the beverages, you can consider drinking them through a straw, which allows the liquid to pass by your teeth. Also, after partaking of balsamic vinegar coffee, wine, cranberry sauce, or pie, take several sips of water to help rinse out the discoloration. Of course, maintain your normal oral hygiene routine, even if you’re on a trip, to also scrub away superficial surface stains.
No matter what anyone says around the table, if you can keep your teeth sparkly white, you can stay thankful to have an attractive smile even after this important holiday ends. Be smart with your meal choices, and your teeth with thank you too!
About the Author
Dr. Stephen Boyles was born and raised in the Midland and Odessa area of the Permian Basin and loves to serve his neighbors and hometown community. With two options for teeth whitening, you can choose whether you’d prefer in-office or take-home treatment. In addition to teeth whitening, Boyles General Dentistry & Dental Implant Center offers several other cosmetic dental services to correct flaws in your smile. To take advantage of teeth whitening, schedule an appointment at the Midland office online or call the team at 432-685-7011.