Mostly no. Staining is the usual complaint and the hygienist can help with that. The real risks are the sugar you add and frequent fruit teas.
Key points
- On their own, tea and coffee won't materially harm your teeth.
- Staining is the usual issue; a hygienist clean can improve it enormously.
- Added sugar, sipped through the day, is what raises the risk of decay.
- Tea naturally contains fluoride.
- Fruit teas are more acidic and, sipped often, can add to tooth wear and erosion.
Transcript
Hi, this is Ian Davis from BDS Dental, and I wanted to talk to you about tea and coffee.
I am often asked by my patients whether tea and coffee are bad for your teeth, and in general I would say no. Tea and coffee on their own are not something which will materially affect your teeth very badly.
The main issue most people will find is that they do stain your teeth, and this is obviously unsightly for many people. That's where the hygienist will come in: you can have things like Airflow, or just have your teeth cleaned and scaled, and that can improve the appearance enormously.
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The main issue that I find is that with tea and coffee, people will often add sugar, and that is the real thing that will cause the most damage. Tea and coffee are something that people will have frequently throughout the day, and having sugar in your tea or coffee will increase your chances of getting tooth decay.
Interestingly, tea on its own actually naturally has fluoride in it, which you could argue is beneficial for your teeth. Coffee on its own, I feel, is fine, and in fact there has been some research to show that coffee could actually be good for you.
So in general, the only other tea that I would be careful about would be fruit teas, because they tend to have a more acidic nature, and if they're had frequently throughout the day they may increase your chances of tooth wear and erosion.
If you have any other questions, please do speak to your dentist or your hygienist here at BDS Dental, where we want you all to be dentally smart.
