Question:
Oh, yes indeed it does. The lady that cleans my teeth smacked me in
the head because before I went to China, my teeth gleamed with a holy
whiteness. My teeth post-China, especially the in between parts, have
a lot of stain. I mean, for the most part, I brush my teeth morning
and night; sometimes missing.
Do you guys/gals have this problem as well? Got any strategies
against stain besides a regular visit to the dental hygienist? But,
at least the tea isn't bad for your teeth other than appearance.
Black teas, like pu'er, are said to have miniscule amounts of
fluorides or fluoride like substrates that can strengthen enamel.
Answer:
Brush immediately. That's my strategy. But, I have to wonder, does
anyone notice a difference in staining by tea variety? Subjectively, I
notice black is worse than oolong, and oolong worse than green.
Actually, the last time I went in to get my teeth cleaned my hygenist gave
me grief...she asked me if I drink a lot of soda. I said no but I drink tea
(more than half of what I drink is sweetened and with milk) and so she
blamed it on that. Be that as it may I'm not giving up my assam for
NOBODY...it's one of the few simple pleasures I have left in my life, :P.
She didn't mention stains. I figure, I quit smoking four years ago and that
stains teeth so I've replaced that dangerous pastime with one more healthy.
It was similar for me. I thought when I started drinking tea that my
teeth would get more stained, but I gave up smoking at about the same
time and don't see much difference.
This is why I, once a week or so, brush with a whitening toothpaste
for a couple of extra minutes. It polishes things up quite nicely.
I can't use typical toothpastes on a daily basis because they irritate
my gums too much. So about once a week is all I'm willing to do.
A bit of baking soda on a cotton swab can be used to clean just your
front teeth without irritating the gums-- a low cost solution. Arm &
Hammer whitening toothpaste or Dental Care baking soda tooth powder also
work well, and taste better. :-)
OH yeah, I forgot to mention. Since my hygienist was beating up on me
so much, she then decided to give me a whole carton of the special
stuff that they use to clean your teeth. It's slightly abrasive, but
it contains a decent amount of fluoride too!
I rinse immediately & use baking soda to clean & brush once a week. this keeps
the stain to minimum. & i usually drink lightly fermented oolong ("green
oolong") which is not as bad. black pu-er seems to be the worst. just as bad
as coffee.
I read something w/i the last month about indications that white tea
prevents dental caries. Don't recall where, but you gotta love those rats.
Back in '01 while in HI, I asked my dentist there what product would be good
and he said that he wasn't comfortable with what was on the shelves at that
time. He said that the only product in which he had faith that it wouldn't
damage your teeth was one that you have to have a custom tray made ($$$) and
to avoid Rembrandt at all costs, even the toothpaste, because it wears away
enamel. He said 'no' to another, but I can't recall which that was.
But, that was more than 3 years ago, more products are on the shelves, I'm
here on the Mainland, and I forgot to ask this dentist again(!) at my last
checkup. I went to Wal-Mart and bought a tube of Plus+White 5 Minute Power
Gel Bleaching because I didn't recognize anything that was abrasive. No
chemist am I, so if there's anyone here who recognizes an
abrasive...hmm...didn't water carve out the Grand Canyon?...where did it put
all that dirt?...I'd appreciate your giving a heads-up.
Ingredients: Water, Poloxamer 407, Hydrogen Peroxide, Glycerin, Methyl
Salicylate, Sodium Saccharin, Blue 1, Calcium Disodium EDTA, Phosphoric
Acid.
