All About How Green Tea Stains Teeth and Preventative Measures

Did you know that Green Tea has been around for as long as since the 2737 B.C. ? this isn’t something new but it has become a very popular item in kitchen cupboards and pantries over the past few decades, because through research and breaking it apart and studying it under a microscope, scientists have found multiple health benefits for it.

It so happened that the discovery of this marvelous liquid was by accident. The Chinese Emperor at the time, namely Shennong, by mistake drank a glass of water with the remnants of what was boiled tea leaves, and he loved the flavor, and the new drink was created and named appropriately. Interested in reading about it further, click here.

This magnificent green drink was thus available to only the highest levels of the East Asian population, and society alike. It became almost a status symbol and a high-life. Until the 14th century, when it became easily accessible to the rest of the people, and even further up in the 19th century to the rest of the world, due to the opening of the import and export gates in the harbors. This then changed to making it one of the go-to’s for both recreational drinking and for its medicinal properties.

This “bullet tea”, as it was once called, became so popular that culture was established around it, and a book was also written about this called “The Classic of Tea” by Lu Yu, which explains all about the culture and the art of the green tea, how to serve it, and make it included. When the Europeans got their hands on it, it then became the British choice of beverages and eventually their national drink, along with black tea, especially Early Grey Tea, which is as English as it gets.

Nowadays, you can find it everywhere, inside tea stores, cafeterias, coffee shops, restaurants, grocery stores, you name it, and it is there and in numerous varieties and flavors, but the original remains the best version. Including all the versatile flavors, the other good thing about this drink is its health benefits. The more we learn about them, the more fascinating we find it.

The Numerous Health Benefits of Green Tea

It Can Increase Weight Loss and Fat Burning. Unless you’re a scientist, the working on why and how it increases fat burning to the lame man is still a mystery, but it’s there. From the small controlled group studies to personal accounts of people being tested using it, the conclusive evidence shows that adding green tea to the diet of an individual increased burning from a mere 4% to a significant 14% https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/top-10-evidence-based-health-benefits-of-green-tea plus it contains bioactive compounds, which give it a medicinal property.

It Can Reduce the Risk of Cancer. Studies against cancer have also been done using this liquid, and it was shown to reduce the risk of developing certain types of cancers which include, prostate cancer, breast, and colorectal cancers. When consumed regularly the antioxidants resulted in a decrease of risk levels of between 20-30% in breast cancers, and 40% less for colorectal.

May Improve Your Brain. Besides keeping you alert; it has also been seen to provide a boost in the functioning of your brain. Why? Because of two specific stimulants present in it – caffeine and acid L-theanine. It is not as strong as other drinks such as coffee, but it does contribute towards some caffeine intake without causing you to shake or have any adverse effects, this is because it affects a different part of the brain from what coffee does.

The latter has been seen to increase dopamine in the brain as well as the production of alpha waves. They both have a synergistic effect which means they help in improving something together. Those that consume it state they have a more stable level of energy. Patients with Dementia may benefit from this drink.

Helps Get Rid of Bad Breath. A surprising thing about it is that it reduces bad breath caused by various negative elements in the mouth. The “catechins” present in it which has benefits for oral health. Certain types of bacteria, for instance, the “Streptococcus mutans”, is a common one that causes plaque buildup, when this happens, it leads to both tooth decay and cavities. Green tea has been found to inhibit the grown of this bacterium and reduce bad breath.

When Green Tea Stains Your Teeth

When Green Tea Stains Your Teeth

Having said that, drinking too much green tea also has its side-effects and one common one is it can stain your teeth. Researchers are finding the staining even worse than that of coffee. This, however, is not surprising, as most teas do stain teeth in any case, because of the presence of tannins. The difference is in the processing of these drinks, green, from black.

Acidic tannins also contribute to eroding the enamel and damaging the protective qualities of teeth. The green tea stains on your teeth are a result of your mandibles being more porous, as a result, and thus appear to become yellowish in due time. majority of the drinks we consume daily stain our teeth, which is why dentists always advise rinsing your mouth with water or mouth wash after.

But with so many health benefits, even more than water itself, how does one drink this beverage without worrying about their teeth? We have a few preventative solutions for you below.

Drink Green Tea Without Sugar. Okay, so, we’ve established drinking this liquid is one of the best things you can do for your mind and body. So why spoil it right? By adding sugar to your drink, you not only change the chemistry of it, but the simplest reason is that sugar is bad for your teeth. It can give you cavities, corrode the insides of your teeth, and cause plaque.

Drink It with A Straw. That’s right, use a straw whenever possible, this way it has a minimal chance of touching your teeth. When drank cold, it reduces contact with your teeth, thereby keeping them away from staining. Other things such as wine and carbohydrate drinks can also be added to this.

Steep It Less. The less you leave green tea, or any other tea for that matter, in water, the less the chances of it getting stronger and staining.

Teeth Whitening Kits. There are some brilliant teeth whitening kits available on the market that will help you keep your pearly whites, stain-free. Use for the ones that work on any teeth, including the sensitive types.

Good Oral Hygiene and Practices. This is an obvious one that has been repeatedly told to us by our dentists. Make sure you brush at least twice a day, use floss when you can, and mouth wash. Also, always rinse your mouth after eating and drinking anything, this will drastically reduce any chances of staining or bad breath. Also, don’t forget to swap your toothbrush with a new one once every 6 months.

Adding Milk to It. Even though green tea, culturally, should not be drunk with milk, sometimes adding it into it will lessen the strength making it less susceptible to staining. If, however, you steep it less, you may not need to do this as it will be weaker in any case. Plus, milk is a good source of calcium and protein and if you are not drinking it in anything else, this could be a good way to get some into your diet.

Lastly, don’t forget to drink lots of water as well, this will flush out the acid in your mouth and help towards this cause of reducing the yellow tinge on your teeth.

We hope all the above information will help you decide on the best practices to make sure you keep your teeth in their best shape, as nature intended them to be!