Does Carrot Juice Stain Teeth?

Anyone who is into juicing eventually wants to juice carrots. But does carrot juice stain teeth or can you safely drink it without worry?

That’s what I’m going to answer here. The fast and simple answer is no. Carrot juice does not stain teeth. Unless you’re buying it in a bottle, in which case all bets are off.

Does Carrot Juice Stain Your Teeth?

Carrot juice doesn’t stain your teeth like coffee, tea, or soda. In fact, even if you tried to stain your teeth with carrot juice for some reason, it would be hard for you to do this.

Why? Well, it comes down to how and why carrot juice stains anything to begin with. Carrot juice contains beta-carotene. This is a anti-oxidant that helps your body. It’s also what provides carrots with their deep, dark color.

Carrot juice can stain things like white towels, sheets, and obviously paper towels. But can it stain teeth? Hardly.

The reason that carrot juice isn’t an issue when it comes to staining teeth is that it’s not a highly acidic drink.

And therein lies the answer. Acidic drinks can and do stain your teeth. Soda, Tea, and Coffee. Those are all highly acidic. That’s why dentists recommend that you avoid drinking these drinks.

Carrot juice won’t turn your teeth orange (it might turn your skin yellow, though if you over do it!)

Understanding Stains: Not All Juices Are The Same

So, let’s look at why some stains are not the same as others. Carrots and berries might stain your teeth for a few minutes. But if you drink water and rinse your mouth you will not have that discoloration stay.

Coffee, wine, tea, and cola will corrode the enamel of your teeth. This is what’s causing the stain.

Carrots provide a sort of tinge color that washes away.  Berries are similar. They discolor, they don’t stain.

Both carrots and berries can stain cloth, but they are not something that will stain your teeth.

Anything that is acidic like tea or coffee, or even lemon juice, can wear down and lead to tooth stain.

Vegetable and fruit juices, with the exception of lemons/limes and other citrus and raw tomato juice, are not going to be an issue and won’t cause staining.

What Are You Mixing With Your Carrot Juice?

The next question that you have to ask yourself is what type of things are you mixing with carrot juice? If you are only juicing straight carrots or adding things like apples and celery, then you’re fine.

But if you’re adding a lemon, then you’re adding an acidic material.

Also, if you happen to be adding a spice such as turmeric, then you have that to contend with.

I have an entire article that covers the question: Is Turmeric Good For You?

Feel free to read it, but the main takeaway is that, yes, it is good for you! But you have to be careful because turmeric can stain (your skin is the most likely culprit) and also you should only  use organic turmeric.

Could There Be Other Culprits?

Ok, so if it’s not carrots that are staining your teeth, what could it be? Well, if you’re adding something like the above mentioned turmeric or lemon to your juice then yes, take a look at those.

But if you’re not adding anything else, then it might be that it’s not the carrots juice that are staining your teeth but rather another culprit.

Do you drink coffee?

Tea?

Drink soda? Even the “naturally sweetened type?”

All of these are things that you will need to eliminate from your diet if you want to have shiny pearly whites.

Acidic drinks cause abrasion to your teeth. This can lead to discoloration and staining.

Another thing that you have to be cautious about is any of the common “teeth whitening toothpastes”.

Stay far, far away from any toothpaste that claims to be a strong tooth whitening toothpaste. These almost all have some sort of abrasive that you need to steer clear from. They can and will hurt your teeth. Don’t believe me? Listen to the Mayo Clinic(1).

 

Is There An Issue With Carrot Juice Staining Teeth?

There is no issue unless you are buying premade carrot juice. Then, then we might have a bit of a problem.

If you’re juicing carrots at home from raw scratch, then there is no problem. But if you are buying something that is made in a factory, then you have no idea what else is in that carrot juice.

At a minimum that carrot juice should have some sort of preservative in them. This is necessary since you can’t store fresh juice on a shelf at the supermarket, even if it’s refrigerated for a long time. Hence the preservatives.

Some of these preservatives are going to be slightly acidic and therefore they can wear down your teeth.

Should You Brush Your Teeth Right After Drinking Carrot Juice?

No. I don’t advise you do that. In fact, if you do that after drinking coffee, you can actually do more damage than good.
Most dentists advise that you do not brush your teeth right after drinking an acidic drink.

Plus, brushing your teeth right after you have had a fruit or vegetable juice isn’t just a hassle, but it’s an inconvenience.

Just avoid it. Brush your teeth at the end of the night before you go to bed.

What you can do is drink a little water to wash away any of the carrot juice if you’re concerned. That’s why I recommend people do with any drink, from green juices to coffee.

 

Is Carrot Juice Going To Stain Your Teeth Like Coffee?

No.

See, that’s simple. Now go make some fresh carrot juice and enjoy.

Supporting Links

• Mayo Clinic on the Dangers of Tooth Whitening Toothpaste