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If you enjoy a hot cup of coffee to start your morning off, you aren’t alone. However, some climates get so warm in the summer that hot beverages might not sound very appetizing. This is when many people opt for a delicious iced coffee instead. Either way, coffee is coffee, right? Whether you drink it warmed up or over ice, you are still likely to succumb to stains from the dark beverage over time. So how can cold coffee be a better choice? Your Riverside dentists with Riverside Dental Group will explain why iced coffee has an advantage.

Hot Coffee Stains

The dark color of coffee comes from the same place that the darkness of red wine originates: tannins. This natural dye can be found in many vegetables and fruits. The heat in a beverage like coffee can cause small fractures in your tooth enamel. This allows those pesky tannins to make direct contact with the open spaces as a result of damaged enamel. If you take your coffee with cream and sugar, this can actually hurt more than help. The lactose in milk is a natural sugar which can stick to your teeth and provide nourishment to the bacteria in your mouth that create lactic acid. Sugar does the same.

The Iced Coffee Advantage

The main advantage of an iced cup of coffee comes in the delivery. If you are drinking it through a straw, and you do so with a little thought and carefulness, you can bypass your most visible teeth altogether. Drink it black and you’re even further ahead of the dental issues curve. Coffee has even been shown to have properties that can help fight gum disease. So in terms of the best choice for coffee consumption, the ice has it. To go an extra mile, try brushing your teeth before you drink coffee to eliminate the plaque that tannins can stick to. If it’s too late, and stains have already set in, your Riverside dentists would be happy to provide you with professional teeth whitening options.

Schedule an Appointment with Your Riverside Dentists

Consult with your Riverside dentists to find out about professional teeth whitening treatments offered at our 92504 dentist office. We can help restore discolored teeth to a brilliant white.. Call (951) 689-5031 to schedule an appointment and discuss your options for tooth stain removal. We serve patients from Riverside and nearby communities.