Tea is an indispensable drink, providing numerous health benefits like relief from stress, digestive troubles and headaches. Additionally, its delicious taste adds color and flavor to meals and snacks alike. Popular types include black, green, oolong and white varieties; although all can potentially stain teeth to some degree; so to answer whether herbal tea stain teeth depends on both which variety and how frequently it’s drunk.
Tannins are natural compounds found in many food and drinks, including some herbal teas like hibiscus and rooibos, that bind with tooth enamel over time, leading to discoloration. Their presence may even outstrip that from coffee consumption! Over time, this form of discoloration can occur more frequently from just drinking one or two cups per day of tea containing tannins.
Though tea can stain teeth, there are ways to minimize its damage. Rinsing the mouth with water after drinking it may help wash away some of the tannins and pigments responsible. Another strategy would be drinking tea through a straw to minimize contact between tea leaves and teeth. Adding some milk may neutralize any tannins present and prevent future staining as casein can help neutralize tannins that form as well as neutralizing them to ward off further staining.
There are also over-the-counter products available that can help remove stains from the teeth, such as whitening toothpastes and mouthwashes containing fluoride and baking soda. When combined with other dental hygiene practices, these can help remove stains more effectively from teeth. Visiting the dentist at least twice annually is another excellent way of maintaining teeth free from stains; professionals can remove permanent spots before they become permanent as well as provide advice about how to prevent further ones in future visits.
Peppermint tea contains less tannin than traditional varieties and therefore is less likely to stain teeth, while other teeth-friendly options like chamomile, rooibos and lemon balm offer various flavorful benefits in addition to helping improve oral health.