Which of your favorite drinks stains your teeth the worst?
I'm pretty sure all of us here could drink soda, coffee, or tea all day if we wanted to. But do we ever think about the consequences of drinking such drinks. Yes, they are sometimes not the healthiest substances to drink. We are well aware of that. It just seems that some of us don't seem to be aware of the damage drinking these things can have on our most important feature, our smile.
Even though we may regularly brush our teeth, drinking such drinks as soda, coffee, or tea can have gradual effects on our teeth. Actually, even though brushing is very helpful in preventing staining or other problems on our teeth, we would need to rinse our mouths out with water every time we drink these drinks for there to be no signs of effect.
Even though we may regularly brush our teeth, drinking such drinks as soda, coffee, or tea can have gradual effects on our teeth. Actually, even though brushing is very helpful in preventing staining or other problems on our teeth, we would need to rinse our mouths out with water every time we drink these drinks for there to be no signs of effect.
I know what you must be thinking; Is it really that bad for my teeth? Are the effects noticeable enough for me to be cautious or worried? The answer to your questions is yes. To prove it to you I've decided to conduct an experiment to show you just how noticeable these effect are on your teeth. To do this I will be using eggs (to simulate teeth) and your favorite drinks Coke, Pepsi, Black Coffee, and Green Tea.
But before we get into this we must first get familiar with our teeth and our drinks. Not just so that you can understand key words I use but so that you can understand the project as well.
But before we get into this we must first get familiar with our teeth and our drinks. Not just so that you can understand key words I use but so that you can understand the project as well.
Our Teeth
Teeth play an important role in our lives even though we can sometimes forget just how important they are. We all know the most common reason that they are important, which is the fact that they help us chew. But they also play an important role in our speech, something many of us take for granted. 1
Beside how they help us, what are they really? The teeth are the hardest substances in our body, but can in some ways we the most sensitive. Teeth are exposed to many problems which include;
Beside how they help us, what are they really? The teeth are the hardest substances in our body, but can in some ways we the most sensitive. Teeth are exposed to many problems which include;
Plaque:Definition - A sticky deposit on teeth in which bacteria proliferate.
You know that feeling on your teeth when you drink or eat something really sugary? It feels like your teeth aren't smooth anymore right? This is because plaque can develop after eating such sugary foods. Though it develops quickly it can be quickly taken off simply by brushing your teeth. |
Tartar:Definition - A hard calcified deposit that forms on the teeth and contributes to their decay.
What happens if you don't brush off the plaque? If the plaque is not removed it can mix with other mineral and become something much harder to get off. That's right, Tartar can be so difficult to remove that is requires professional cleansing. |
Tooth Discoloration
Our teeth naturally have a white tint, but when we drink and eat sugary substances they can in time become stained. This is known as tooth discoloration and it is the main topic of this experiment. Another factor to this comes from our enamel having small pits in it that can trap pigments of our drinks. These pigments can permanently stain our teeth. 2 Tooth discoloration is very sneaky, right? When researching this, I found that there are 3 different types of tooth discoloration;
Extrinsic discoloration"This occurs when the outer layer of the tooth (the enamel) is stained. Coffee, wine, and cola or other drinks or foods can stain teeth. Smoking also causes extrinsic stains". - Colgate 3 |
Intrinsic discoloration"This is when the inner structure of the tooth (the dentin) darkens or gets a yellow tent". - Colgate 3 |
Age-Related discoloration"Dentin naturally yellows over time. The enamel that covers the teeth gets thinner with age, which allows the dentin to show through.....Chips or other injuries can discolor a tooth, especially when the pulp has been damaged". - Colgate 3 |
Want to learn more about your teeth and ways you can prevent and treat tooth discoloration? Click this button!
Well now we know that drinks like coffee, tea, and cola can stain out teeth. But we still don't know how. Let's take a closer look.
SodaHave you ever read the ingredients on your can of soda? If you have, you have probably spent hours trying to read the names of some of the chemicals. These "long-named" chemicals are very bad for you teeth.
It's not just the chemicals, its also the sugars. As we already know sugar is bad for your teeth if not brushed away, and sodas are packed with sugars. One study said that if we were to drink down all the sugars in one soda, without the chemicals and water that go with it, we would die. Soda can also add to the thinning of your enamel. Which as we've read can add to the yellow tent you teeth get. 4 |
TeaSoda may have chemicals, but tea has tannic acid. This tannic acid, the main factor for its dark color, may get trapped in the pits of your enamel and discolor them. 5
|
CoffeeLike Tea and Soda. The dark-colored pigments of coffee can get trapped in our enamel and discolor our teeth.
Let's not forget though, many of us like to add sugar to our coffee which seems to add more threats to our teeth. |
My Hypothesis
If soda has more ingredients working against the enamel of the teeth, then it would only be reasonable to pursue the idea that because of Soda's harsh chemicals and large amounts of sugar, it will stain the teeth more then the other drinks.