Diet and Teeth

The Dangers of Coffee

The most common beverage of choice in the world right behind water and tea is coffee. People all over the world enjoy coffee. It can be drank many different ways: cold, hot, black, with cream, the list goes on. Surprisingly, there are good and bad effects of adding coffee to our diets. Many people know there are side effects when consuming coffee. They usually just assume it has to do with mental and digestive health, but it can also affect our dental health depending on how and how much coffee we consume.

People assume the worst thing coffee can do to our teeth is stain them yellow. And they’re right. Coffee has tannins compounds which is a type of polyphenol that breaks down in water. This causes the coloring in coffee to stick to our teeth and turn them a yellow hue over time. There are products that claim to be able to remove stains from our teeth, but these are just surface stains. It is much harder to remove deeper level stains and usually a dentists’ assistance is needed for this to be accomplished. The yellowing, however, is purely cosmetic. There are much worse side effects when it comes to consuming coffee daily.

One of the main concerns dentists have with coffee is bacteria can grow in our mouths which can lead to tooth and enamel erosion. Erosion is an irreversible change that not only alters the appearance of our teeth, but their strength as well. This is why many people become more sensitive to hot or cold things over time.

Another concern with coffee is halitosis or bad breath. While this isn’t exactly a health concern, it is still something many people are conscious of in their daily lives. Brushing your teeth is actually not beneficial to helping halitosis. It actually spreads the bacteria around more. People will feel clean and refreshed immediately after brushing their teeth, but soon will realize the bad breath will return in a matter of minutes.

On the other hand, studies have shown that drinking just black coffee can actually have dental benefits. Drinking coffee occasionally (that’s the kicker here) can reduce the development of plaque over time. Most people do not enjoy black coffee and cannot restrict themselves to one cup a day. If people could learn to consume the drink in moderation then they would see health benefits for their teeth instead of health detriments.