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Avoid "Green Teeth" this St. Patrick's Day

From Shawn Watson, About.com GuideMarch 17, 2009

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Happy St. Patrick’s Day! For some of you, the occasion calls for the illustrious "green beer" enjoyed at your favorite Irish pub, but if you are in the process of whitening your teeth, you may want to rethink the color of your beverage today.

During the whitening process the pores of the enamel are opened from the use of bleaching agents, allowing the hydrogen peroxide or carbamide peroxide to enter the dentin layer of the tooth. It is very important that during this time you avoid foods and beverages that contain high levels of pigment, such as yellow mustard, grape juice, red wine, tomato sauce... you get the point.

So why is "green beer" a “no no” for people that are whitening their teeth? The addition of the green food coloring to your ale making it that beautiful Irish green, could penetrate the tooth resulting in a green tinge to the teeth; not the results you were expecting! In place of green beer, consider an Irish feast for dinner, just hold the mustard!
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