Milk as effective as bleach products in reducing tooth staining…

Researchers found that adding milk to your tea, a practice already common in some countries but shunned by many others, can substantially reduce one of the least welcome byproducts of drinking tea, namely teeth staining. The staining properties of tea are caused by tannins and depend on the level of leaf oxidation, with heavily oxidized black and oolong teas staining most. Scientists from University of Alberta’s School of Dentistry found that adding milk to tea prevents this due to the abundance of casein, the main protein in milk, which binds to tannins and stops the staining. The results observed were said to be comparable to vital bleaching products and more effective than whitening toothpastes.