My Boca Raton dental patients often ask, “Why are my teeth stained, yellow or decayed if I  brush my teeth three times a day and whiten my teeth frequently?”

 ’You are what you eat’ is a fact.

The answer can be as simple as your diet.   Modern foods are loaded with sugars and carbohydrates that stick to tooth enamel.  Even if you get regular teeth whitening treatments, if your diet is full of these sugars you are at risk from bacteria that breaks down the enamel that protects your teeth and makes them pearly white.

Food companies have tricked us into a false definition of nutritional value.  

I have yet to find a ‘healthy’ power bar.   Power bars are usually full of sugar and are sticky and gooey.   Anything sticky and gooey is not tooth healthy and is the enemy of white teeth.   Healthy power bars are usually 15 to 25 grams of carbohydrate or sugar which translates into one teaspoon for every 5 grams of sugar.  Therefore, a 20 gram power bar is about four teaspoons of sugar.   Would you open a jar of sugar and eat four teaspoons of it?

On top of all the sugar is the other sticky stuff in that bar which helps sugar adhere to your teeth.

Other typical food items that make it hard to keep your teeth white include:

• Wine
• Soda
• Alcoholic beverages
• Sport drinks

The tannins or compounds found in these food items get inside of your enamel due to the acid environment that the sugars create, and you end up with stained or decayed teeth despite your efforts to do at-home or in-office teeth whitening treatments.

Tooth whitening products cannot keep up with these dietary items.  In order to enhance and preserve the results of teeth whitening I highly recommend removing high sugar content foods from your diet or rinsing with water or brushing after these food or drink items have been used.

About the Author

Dr. Alan Markowitz and his team at Great Boca Smiles provides a number of teeth whitening and cosmetic dentistry services to Boca Raton and the surrounding area, including:

In-Office Laser Teeth Whitening
At-Home Teeth Bleaching Kits
Zoom Teeth Whitening

Learn more about our latest Boca Raton teeth whitening discounts and specials.