Teeth, much like our white dresses we spill the tomato sauce on, get stained when you eat foods with coloured pigment. That is because the enamel of the teeth contains small irregularities. And so, if food containing dark coloured pigment gets embedded in the enamel and not cleaned off immediately, it leaves semi-permanent stains. There are indeed a lot of products that can keep your teeth in tip-top shape, there is an easier way to prevent the stains from the get-go. Simply limit the intake of these foods that can stain your teeth.

1 Tea and Coffee

It does not matter whether you are a tea or a coffee lover. Overdoing on your favourite beverage can stain your teeth. Certain pigments in both tea and coffee can stain your teeth yellow. So stick to just a few cups of caffeine every day. Whitening products could cause tooth decay and cavities say study: 5 natural remedies for white teeth.

2 Beetroot

You know how badly beetroot can stain your clothes. Imagine what they can do to your teeth. To prevent staining and minimising the damage, brush your teeth immediately after eating beets.

3 Pickles

This is going to break your heart if you are a pickle fan. The sour taste of pickle that you love can be extremely acidic which in turn can erode your enamel and cause staining. So maybe you should restrict eating aam ka achar with your rice or chapatti. These are the good habits of people who have great teeth.

4 Tomato Ketchup

This might be a total shocker but hear it out. The acidic properties of tomatoes in tomato sauce and ketchup can cause staining and enamel erosion. The only fix is to eat these foods in moderation.

5 Biscuits and Crackers

Who would have thought that crackers could stain your teeth? Most crackers contain refined carbohydrates which break down into sugar and become breeding ground for teeth-staining bacteria.

6 Berries

Yes, berries are juicy and nutritious but the richly coloured pigments in berries can stick to your enamel and leave a filmy coat of layer on your teeth. So again, brush your teeth immediately after biting into berries.

7 Balsamic Vinegar

Balsamic vinegar is bad news for your teeth as it is full of acid and deeply pigmented. So try to limit the addition of this vinegar to your salad dressing. Also, add a lot of lettuce to your salad as it creates a barrier that makes it less likely to stain your teeth.

If you are unable to brush your teeth every time after eating these foods, you must at least make it a practice to rinse your mouth with water to allow some of the staining agents to leave your mouth.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 19, 2019 08:00 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).