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Drink Iced Tea to Avoid Stained Teeth


Previously, we have found that iced coffee will stain teeth less than regular coffee. The same is true for iced tea, and no, not that Ice-T.
Why iced tea will stain your teeth less than traditional hot tea, boils down to two reasons:

  1. Major tooth staining molecules (theaflavins) are less soluble in iced tea. At lower temperatures smaller quantities of staining molecules can remain soluble, so iced tea will produce less staining as a result.
  2. Iced tea is more diluted than your regular cup of tea. There is a smaller ratio of tea bags to water, so there will be a smaller quantity of staining molecules in iced tea.

Store Bought Iced Teas

The reduced staining capacity of iced tea goes double for store bought iced teas like Snapple, Arizona, Lipton, etc. Processing for bottled teas tend to filter out even more staining molecules before they make it to the store (probably to keep them less cloudy). Some studies haven’t even been able to find measureable levels of the major tooth staining molecules like theaflavins in store bought iced teas.
Enjoying iced tea is one great way to avoid excessively staining your teeth from tea, but be sure to watch out for overly sugary teas. All you sweet tea drinkers out there still need to pay attention to frequent sugar consumption to keep your teeth healthy.


Scott Frey

Scott Frey is a renowned Orthodontist, professional speaker, and founder of the More than Smiles Movement.