5 Drinks And Foods That Stain Your Child’s Teeth

A child’s cutest feature is his or her smile with bright little white teeth! These milk teeth need utmost care as they tend to decay faster than permanent teeth. Most parents are careful about not exposing their child to excessive sugar to prevent decay from taking root. Unfortunately, decay isn’t the only problem to watch out for. Primary teeth are sometimes badly stained or discolored, too.

Stains on children’s teeth can be intrinsic or extrinsic in nature. Let's take a look at what this means, and what parents can do about it.

Intrinsic tooth stains in children: What and why?

Intrinsic stains are on the inside of the tooth. Intrinsic stains may be caused by an excess amount of fluoride in the water (fluorosis), developmental anomalies which are genetic in nature, or the use of a class of drugs called tetracyclines by the mother during pregnancy. A few other causes of these stains present inside the teeth include celiac disease, tooth decay, or trauma (injury). Bilirubin and hemoglobin insufficiencies can also cause intrinsic tooth discoloration

These stains cannot be just cleaned away, and instead need to be corrected through the use of dental procedures like bleaching, fillings, and laminate veneers. Intrinsic stains are a lot less common in children than extrinsic stains, but they are usually more worrisome when they do occur.

Extrinsic tooth stains in children: What and why?

Extrinsic stains, however, are superficial and occur after the tooth erupts in the child’s mouth. Superficial stains may be caused by poor oral hygiene in children, or inadequate brushing. These are also the types of stains we are talking about when we mention different foods and drinks that will stain your child’s teeth.

Why do some food and drinks cause stains on children’s teeth?

Some foods and drinks contain certain colored compounds called "chromogens", which can be absorbed by the teeth and result in their discoloration. This kind of discoloration due to food and drinks is a lot more common than you might initially think.

The five most common food and drinks that cause discoloration in children’s teeth

1. Sauces like tomato pasta sauce, soy sauce, curries, and tomato ketchup can cause discoloration of kids' teeth. These additions to a meal tend to be favorites among a large percentage of children, and so parents often serve them to their kids. The presence of vegetables like cauliflower, kale, and broccoli in the sauces or curries helps reduce the risk of staining. Needless to say, store-bought sauces are rich in preservatives and artificial coloring so try and give the children freshly cooked food as often as possible.
2. Food coloring added to certain types of ethnic food. Turmeric is a common additive in Indian food curries for example, and can cause a discoloration of the teeth in children.
3. Berries like blueberry, blackberry, raspberry, and numerous others have a high staining potential, as anyone who has ever gotten them onto their clothes already knows. These cause staining whether they are consumed raw or as jam or juice.
4. Brightly colored candy can stain children’s teeth and can also lead to dental caries due to its high sugar content.
5. Sugary sodas with added color are very bad for your child’s teeth as they cause staining as well as dental caries due to high sugar content. In addition, neither of these last two have any nutritional value. They are, in general, best avoided.

Apart from these, medication like iron supplements or multivitamins containing iron can also cause stains on children’s teeth.

In that case, the best ways to get rid of these superficial stains on your child’s teeth is by simple measures including:

• Gargling after intake of any food.
• Brushing after intake of any colored food or at the very least twice a day.
• Higher intake of green vegetables, carrots, and apples.
• Increased intake of water.
• Using a straw for any colored drinks.
• Regular professional cleaning of teeth at the dental office.

One of the beneficial effects of following these above-mentioned tips would be to minimize the risk of tooth decay affecting your child’s teeth. Reducing the amount of time candy or other food material stays in the mouth after food, providing a healthy diet to the best of your ability, and getting a professional cleaning from a dentist are all things that will directly help improve a child's oral hygiene and provide a better environment for healthy bacteria to thrive.

A final word

Stains on the teeth can be of many kinds. If you are unsure about what is causing them, make sure to speak to your child's dentist. The chances are pretty high that all that is required is a tooth cleaning and some simple modifications to your child's eating habits.