Lose the bubbly
Sodas—and even other acidic beverages such as sports drinks—are bad for your pearly whites because they contain enamel-stripping acids (phosphoric, citric, malic, and tartaric acids, to name a few), which are bad for your stomach and your weight, anyway.
If you can’t cut them out entirely, at least swish your mouth with water after drinking them to minimize their contact with your teeth.
Drop the OJ, reach for tea
Turns out that orange juice ranks right up there with soda in terms of its enamel-damaging potential. But it is far healthier than fizzy drinks, even milk, so I am not ditching it. Think of enamel as armor for your teeth. Once that armor gets worn down or damaged, it can’t repair itself.
Turn to green or black tea instead: Not only do they leave enamel alone, they even have a bit of tooth-friendly fluoride to boot. Turn to tea anyway for its ati-oxidants. Plus, if you drink coffee you are far more likely to sip the fat ladden varieties.
Go green
Getting more greens in your diet—along with other veggies and fruit—could help thwart staining, write RealAge experts Michael Roizen, M.D., and Mehmet Oz, M.D., in their book,YOU: Being Beautiful: The Owner's Manual to Inner and Outer Beauty
.Apples, celery and carrots act as natural stain removers, while greens such as spinach, broccoli and lettuce create a film over the teeth that serves as a stain barrier. My godmother who was a dentinst never had sweets after lunch or dinner. She always had an apple. She recommended eating an apple when one did not have access to toothpaste and brush.
Reach for yogurt
Research shows that yogurt eaters are less likely to suffer from gum disease and tooth loss than people who don’t touch the stuff. It only took a couple of ounces of yogurt daily for people's mouths to benefit.
Researchers speculate that there's something about the healthy bacteria in yogurt that helps protect teeth and gums. They may help balance the bad bacteria in your mouth, just the way they do in your gut. Totally agree.
Get some straws
You can minimize some of the damage by sipping a gotta-have-it afternoon cola or iced tea through a straw. Put the tip of the straw near the back of your mouth to decrease contact time between your teeth and the acids. But be sure to keep it there. Letting the straw sit just past your lips may increase exposure (and damage). On the other hand, drinking with a straw is bad for your digestion because you are swallowing a lot of air along with the beverage and carbon dioxide. So lose the stuff alltogether.
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