We're all born with naturally white smiles. Unfortunately, over time these white smiles fade. Making matters worse, the foods we eat attack our white smiles on a daily basis.

Normally, our mouths cover tooth enamel with a clear colorless layer of protein known as the pellicle. Like flies to flypaper, food stains stick to this protein pellicle, blotching our beautiful, white smiles.

Especially damaging are:

1. Foods like soy sauce, berries, curry, coffee, red wine, and tea. These foods easily stain teeth.

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1. Extremely hot or cold liquids. These are dangerous to your white smile because they change the temperature of your teeth. This temperature change (hot and cold cycling) causes teeth to expand and contract, allowing stains to penetrate your teeth.

   Try cutting down on these types of drinks (including coffee and tea) or try drinking them with a straw to reduce the amount of time they are in contact with your teeth.

2. Foods that are slightly acidic. These foods open up the pores of the tooth enamel allowing stains to more easily move into your teeth.
3. Tobacco. This is one of the biggest culprits in ruining white smiles. Tobacca quickly stains teeth yellow.

Next, we'll see how whitening toothpastes reverse the damage caused by food >>>>