Is your coffee habit destroying your teeth? Many of us love coffee but how much is too much for your teeth? At what point does it become destructive to your oral health? Odds are if you’re an avid coffee drinker like we are, the effects are probably already effecting your mouth - let’s drill into it.
*cue that Apple alarm sound that haunts all of our dreams*
Let's Start From The Beginning
Okay, you’ve awoken to yet another day. You need to leave for the office in a quick 35 minutes. Into the kitchen you stumble, brew yourself a cup of coffee, take a seat and allow the warm liquid to wake your body up from the inside out.
...20 minutes until departure.
You hop in the shower, get dressed, brush your teeth and are out the door. Sound familiar?
What if I told you this typical routine is detrimental to your teeth not only from a staining standpoint, but also from an integrity standpoint?
If we’ve caught your attention, read on.
Brushing within a 30 minute window after drinking your coffee is the WORST thing you can do during your morning routine. Ugh, WHY?!
- Within that 30 minute window, your mouth is in an acidic state and the enamel is not able to protect your teeth like it normally does.
- You are actually able to brush stain and acid into your teeth if you brush within this 30 minute window
Coffee is acidic AF
Once ingested, coffee disrupts the oral microenvironment. This change in acidity makes the teeth more susceptible to abrasion, cavities, and staining. Okay, we aren’t here to convince you to quit drinking your favorite morning beverage - so what should you do?
How do you have your "coffee" and drink it too?
The best thing you can do is brush your teeth prior to drinking coffee. This removes any bacteria & plaque that built up over night. Once you finish your morning coffee, rinse your mouth with water and/or mouth wash. This will help remove the highly acidic liquid from your teeth and allow your mouth to go back to its “happy state” which is not acidic.
Some Other Coffee Drinking Tips
- Limit the amount of sugar in your coffee
- If you still opt to brush your teeth do so after your morning coffee and wait at LEAST 30 minutes.
- If you do not have access to brushing swish vigorously with water
We always advise people to decrease sugar consumption in general (the amount of sugar in your coffee is no exception to the rule!). High sugar diets are correlated to a higher cavity risk. Your body needs time to remove the acid from your mouth and come back down to a normal acid level to allow for healthier teeth. Tooth enamel is every strong, but it can only do so much when fighting against the acidity of coffee.
Conclusion
Healthier teeth is our goal here at Dose of Dental, so submit your questions about this blog or your other burning dental desires for our docs to answer directly. Your teeth, our blogs, your answers. To learn more about how to brush your teeth properly read our blog on that - click here. Or if you want to know why flossing is so important and how to effectively floss read our post on that - click here.
Coffee is something we refuse to give up. Therefore, always wait at least 30 minutes before brushing your teeth, limit sugar in your coffee, and last but not least drink it black (coffee is best without anything in it, I will die on this hill).
