Tea and Teeth

I went to the dentist today. She said that she can tell the difference between a loose/whole-leaf and a bagged/broken-tea drinker by their teeth. I didn’t realize that there was THAT much of a difference in the tannins between the two in that particular regard, but it makes sense. When the tea has more surface area (as broken-leaf tea does), it oxidizes faster and more. The oxidation causes the catechins and gallocatechins (EGCG) to bond and form theaflavin (a type of red tannin) and thearubigins (a type of brown tannin). It’s the same reason white tea can’t stain your teeth (unless maybe it’s gone bad . . . hmm . . . not sure) and black tea can. I know I don’t drink broken-leaf tea because it’s inferior to loose-leaf, but I seem to keep finding out JUST HOW INFERIOR it actually is, this time in the form of a story of a brown-toothed patient. Gross.