Here are 7 things ruining your white smile that you may not be aware of (and what you can do about it to reclaim your pearly whites!)

1. Coffee

It’s hard to find someone that doesn’t love his or her morning cup of coffee. It’s a great way to start your day, wake you up and get your metabolism going, but unfortunately it’s also one of the worst drinks for your teeth. The dark pigment of coffee easily finds its way into the many small groves and ridges of your teeth.

What to do: Very few people would be willing to give up this part of their daily routine, and we don’t blame you! Instead of giving up coffee completely (although this is the best way to keep your white smile), try limiting your coffee drinking to specific times of the day so that you can plan to properly clean your teeth after.

2. Tea

Not a coffee lover, then you’re probably guilty of this one. While the pigments of tea and effects are not as bad as coffee, years of tea (especially multiple cups a day) take their toll on teeth.

What to do: Like with coffee, try to limit your tea times to when you can brush after to use a whitening mouthwash. Make sure to brush and floss to reach all crevasses your teeth.

3. Smoking

It can be hard to believe smoking can cause so much damage to your teeth. Even though it is not a liquid or solid, the nicotine in cigarettes and cigars react with oxygen when you inhale it, leaving your teeth yellow. Not only does it stain teeth, but is known to cause all types of cancers in the mouth, esophagus, gums, throat, lungs, etc.

What to do: Smokers tend to need a smoke break more frequently than coffee or tea drinkers. That being said, it’s important to brush and floss after smoking and/or use a whitening mouthwash. While this is a very difficult habit to break, its one that should just be avoided completely, not just for your teeth, but also for your overall health!

4. Sugar/Sweets

Diet is one of the most crucial parts of good oral health and for keeping your teeth white. While sugar itself does not directly stain teeth, foods and candy filled with sugar eat away at the enamel on your teeth, exposing the yellow “dentin” underneath.

What to do: Skip the hard candies, cookies, and cakes after meals and try something sweet that actually helps whiten your teeth like strawberries or bananas.

5. Candies and Cookies,

What to do: Skip the hard candies, cookies, and cakes after meals and try something sweet that actually helps whiten your teeth like strawberries or bananas.

6. Genetics

Sorry everyone, this is one that we can’t help you prevent. A lot of the time the color of your teeth and how white you can make them all comes down to your genetics. Even if you’re genetically gifted with pearly whites, you may just have more groves in your teeth in deep molars, allowing for drinks, food and other staining agents to get trapped more easily.

What to do: While you can’t change the physical makeup of your teeth, you can try your luck with different whitening methods, such as Crest Whitestrips and toothpaste along with regular whitening maintenance. Results vary from person to person, but most people get great results, which are even further improved with a healthy diet and daily oral care/hygiene. They may help remove years of stains with just a few treatments.

7. Sodas

Possibly the worst culprit when it comes to staining your teeth. Soda is not only full of sugar, but has harmful chemicals and usually a dark pigment that destroys the coating of your teeth and not to mention causes cavities! It’s best to avoid soda whenever possible.

What to do: Like the taste, sugar hit, or just can’t break the soda habit? Try other naturally sweet or carbonated drinks like coconut water, kombucha, or even adding a flavored packet of probiotics to your water, which will actually help prevent gum inflammation and eliminate bacteria.