# Any way to keep coffee from staining my teeth? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 9, 2010, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-way-to-keep-coffee-from-staining-my-teeth/560057 "2010-11-09T17:22:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2010, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-way-to-keep-coffee-from-staining-my-teeth/560057/1 "2010-11-09T17:22:49Z")
I’ve never had beautiful teeth, but I recently used Crest White Strips and loved the results- for the first time ever I felt like i had a beautiful smile. But I went back to my old habits (which includes plenty of coffee, tea and red wine) and pretty soon the effect was pretty much gone. Is there any way I can keep my teeth white without giving up the beverages I love most? ---
**Author:** ![MegaBee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f0a364/32.png) [@MegaBee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MegaBee)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2010, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-way-to-keep-coffee-from-staining-my-teeth/560057/2 "2010-11-09T17:30:51Z")
Sensodyne whitening toothpaste was recommended to me when I was drinking coffee. I don’t know how well it’ll work, but it’s worth a shot. ---
**Author:** ![Sattua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sattua/32/11906_2.png) [@Sattua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sattua)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2010, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-way-to-keep-coffee-from-staining-my-teeth/560057/3 "2010-11-09T18:03:28Z")
Using whitening toothpaste keeps mine nice for long enough that the rounds of Crest Whitestrips aren’t a nuisance… I do whitestrips every 12-18 months. Whitening toothpaste in between. ---
**Author:** ![Onomatopoeia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onomatopoeia/32/4145_2.png) [@Onomatopoeia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onomatopoeia)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2010, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-way-to-keep-coffee-from-staining-my-teeth/560057/4 "2010-11-09T18:32:53Z")
I recently had a whitening session at my dentist. They used something called Zoom. In one session my teeth went from a beigeish-yellow (I don’t know what color number it was) to A1 on the Vita shade scale. My teeth are now whiter than they’ve ever been. I was skeptical when they consulted me about it, but it worked. ---
**Author:** ![mo50](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8797f3/32.png) [@mo50](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mo50)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2010, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-way-to-keep-coffee-from-staining-my-teeth/560057/5 "2010-11-09T19:14:24Z")
a friend of mine only drinks through a straw for this reason, even w/ hot drinks. Don’t know if it works, but she’s got pretty nice teeth! ---
**Author:** ![Snickers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Snickers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snickers)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2010, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-way-to-keep-coffee-from-staining-my-teeth/560057/6 "2010-11-09T19:14:37Z")
Can I be super nosy and ask how much the Zoom treatment cost? ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2010, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-way-to-keep-coffee-from-staining-my-teeth/560057/7 "2010-11-09T19:24:09Z")
I suppose one could consider the coffee enema. On the bright side you’re not having to pay extra for some special flavor. Or sweetener. Or cream. Or swizzle sticks. ---
**Author:** ![Onomatopoeia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onomatopoeia/32/4145_2.png) [@Onomatopoeia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onomatopoeia)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2010, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-way-to-keep-coffee-from-staining-my-teeth/560057/8 "2010-11-09T20:01:45Z")
> [@Snickers](#): > > Can I be super nosy and ask how much the Zoom treatment cost? No problem. I’ll have to look at my bill when I get home, but I think it was around $500. Don’t freak yet. Let me confirm the number. ETA: Whatever the cost was, it was worth every penny in my opinion as the difference in the color and brightness of my teeth is nothing less than astonishing. ---
**Author:** ![Hazle\_Weatherfield](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Hazle\_Weatherfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hazle_Weatherfield)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2010, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-way-to-keep-coffee-from-staining-my-teeth/560057/9 "2010-11-09T20:28:54Z")
> [@mo50](#): > > a friend of mine only drinks through a straw for this reason, even w/ hot drinks. Don’t know if it works, but she’s got pretty nice teeth! That’s what I do, too…especially with any type of acidic drinks. ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2010, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-way-to-keep-coffee-from-staining-my-teeth/560057/10 "2010-11-09T21:23:28Z")
The only staining stuff I drink is hot tea, and I’m sure as hell not drinking \*that \*through a straw! ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2010, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-way-to-keep-coffee-from-staining-my-teeth/560057/11 "2010-11-09T21:41:12Z")
I drink my coffee through a straw. Not because of the staining - I honestly never thought of that - but just because I like everything better through a straw. Plus the straw actually makes a fairly efficient cooling tower. ---
**Author:** ![rhubarbarin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eb9ed0/32.png) [@rhubarbarin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rhubarbarin)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2010, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-way-to-keep-coffee-from-staining-my-teeth/560057/12 "2010-11-10T03:38:36Z")
Eat limited starches and sugars, and rinse your mouth after you do so. Strengthen your enamel by nutrient-rich real food (seafood, meat, dairy products preferably raw and/or grass-fed, veggies) . In particular you need plenty of vitamins D and K, and magnesium. Most in the US do not get enough of any of the three. FWIW, my teeth are quite white and I drink nothing but coffee, tea, red wine - and water. ---
**Author:** ![Onomatopoeia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onomatopoeia/32/4145_2.png) [@Onomatopoeia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onomatopoeia)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2010, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-way-to-keep-coffee-from-staining-my-teeth/560057/13 "2010-11-11T03:07:17Z")
Sorry for the delay in getting back to you, **Snickers**. I just checked by dental bill for the Zoom whitening treatment. It was $625, but I applied a $200 discount coupon I’d received previously for having over $2500 in other work done this year, which knocked the final cost down to $425. Note that they whitened all of my teeth. They gave me the option of skipping my molars, which would have cut the price in half, but I thought it would have looked weird to have the fronts a completely different shade than the backs.