Low stain drinks

November 28, 2006 10:19 AM

I just got my teeth cleaned and I'm bleaching them too. I drink 5-6 cups of black tea (with milk) a day which is no good for white teeth - what alternative beverages can I switch to that won't be so bad for my pearly whites?

I've already switched to white tea, but I don't like it much. Any other suggestions?

0 points for water.

posted by forallmankind to Health & Fitness (11 answers total)

mint tea? It's a totally different taste, but it's truly awesome if you can get the right stuff.
posted by jourman2 at 10:27 AM on November 28, 2006

Green tea is my new fave. Our office provides Bigelow, which is good, and Stash has a cool sampler pack so you can try a bunch of green varieties, including mint, sushi bar green, regular green, green and white tea mixed, etc.
posted by GaelFC at 10:33 AM on November 28, 2006

Get yourself some real (green) tea. And just to be contrary, try a sparkling mineral water like Gerolsteiner - I love it.
posted by kcm at 11:03 AM on November 28, 2006

If you wait until your tea is cold, just drink it with a straw. Then you don't have to worry about staining your teeth.
posted by JJ86 at 11:11 AM on November 28, 2006

I worked with a woman that had clear braces on for a while. It's not exactly the same as whitened teeth, but you still have to be wary about staining them. She drank cocoa and hot cider during the winter. If you'd like to stick to tea, perhaps it's the brand or flavor of tea you are drinking. I consider myself a mild tea-snob, and I love all I've tried from The Republic of Tea.

When she had to have a can of Coke or Pepsi, her dentist recommended using a straw. Too bad Crystal Pepsi isn't still around...
posted by youngergirl44 at 11:25 AM on November 28, 2006

For caffeine - green tea.

For no caffeine - try fruity herbal teas. My favorite is Cranberry Apple Zinger from Celestial Seasons. Mmm.
posted by tastybrains at 11:38 AM on November 28, 2006

Here are two white "extreme" beverages: LizzBlizz and Bawls.

There is also caffeinated water: Water Joe (I've used that for brewing coffee, although it's hard to find now).
posted by mattbucher at 12:21 PM on November 28, 2006

Don't quit drinking your tea at all.

I've seen people (who are worried about staining their pearly whites) drink hot coffee out of straws, I don't see why that wouldn't work with drinking hot tea.

The only thing I would worry about is ingesting melted plastic molecules. Which is why I don't drink hot beverages this way.
posted by backwords at 2:52 PM on November 28, 2006

Don't drink the coffee through a straw. For a few reasons: -One, it still stains your back teeth, and even though you can't see your own back teeth in the mirror, others can when they see you in profile. Two, you probably spent a whole lot of money to get the bleaching done right. If you did, this opened up the little tiny holes in your teeth so the bleach could get in. It will take some time for these little holes to close. Three, when you take your mouth of the straw to swallow, you close your mouth. This sends some of the tea to the front of your mouth. It just does. Four, once you're in the habit of having your tea with a straw it's not too far from "just this once" having it without a straw because you're somewhere that doesn't have any.

This also applies to red pasta sauce, ketchup, strawberry jam, dark mustards, and anything you suspect might be capable of staining your favorite while blouse to a darker shade.

I used to manage a dental office. We saw a few people ruin their bleach jobs with unrecommded eating habits. If you drink the tea with a straw, don't lie to your doc about it, and don't don't don't blame him/her. I used to manage a dental office, I am not a dentist.
posted by bilabial at 3:13 PM on November 28, 2006

Thanks for all the suggestions. And big ups to kcm for sending me a gift certificate for Adagio - thanks!
posted by forallmankind at 7:04 PM on November 28, 2006

My dentist recommends that after you drink tea or some other staining beverage you follow it with a water chaser, swishing well.

He says this will reduce staining.
posted by extrabox at 7:48 PM on November 28, 2006