<p>I usually drink a mug of coffee in the morning. I am a morning person, but I feel so much better if I have that extra burst of caffeine. Today I went to the dentist and saw that I have gotten some staining on the insides of my teeth within the last year from drinking coffee. They were able to remove all of the staining with a water tool, but I've decided that I don't want to sacrifice my white teeth for coffee. I don't want to go the drink coffee and then just whiten using chemicals route either.</p>
<p>Are there any other alternatives to coffee? I drink a lot of green tea as it is, but I don't really feel any of the effects from the caffeine. I don't drink soft drinks, as I try to eat as "clean" as possible.</p>
<p>I was thinking caffeine pills...are these generally frowned upon? You can buy them at Target/Walgreens.</p>
<p>i drink coffee multiple times each day and at my last dentist visit, the dental assistant asked if i whiten my teeth (they had to match bonding and had to use the whitest one).</p>
<p>You could always try to ween yourself off of your caffeine dependence. I remember reading on Lifehacker the other day that the first 10 days after you stop taking caffeine suck ie headaches and other signs of withdrawal, but after that, you’re perfectly fine.</p>
<p>There are always sodas, but those tend to be worse on your teeth than coffee. </p>
<p>You can try energy drinks. Five hour energy is the easiest by far.</p>
<p>I don’t have experience with caffeine pills. I’ve always been a coffee person because my family is made up of coffee drinkers. My mother does have pretty noticeable coffee stains, but my father doesn’t. So everyone’s different in that respect.</p>
<p>Also caffeine withdrawal only lasts two days. Even if you’ve been drinking 2-3 cups a day for 20+ years.</p>
<p>crs1909, hm. I may just try that since it’s still summer and I don’t go to school for about a month. If it doesn’t work, I’ll try the pills I guess. I’ve also heard that an apple in the morning works better than coffee (placebo?). Oh well, I’ll try having an apple with my breakfast instead of a cup of coffee every day for the next ~2 weeks to see how it goes.</p>
<p>If that works, I may just reserve coffee for those afternoon study sessions instead of having it every morning in addition to the afternoon when needed.</p>
<p>Nicotine wakes you up. I don’t do caffiene. Buying uppers everyday or energy drinks will add up too. Spending $2/$3 a day gets costly. Try working out in the morning.</p>
<p>According to Stash Teas, here is the breakdown in milligrams of caffeine for an average coffee and five types of tea:
Coffee (5 oz. cup) 80
Black Tea (one tea bag) 40
Oolong Tea (one tea bag) 30
Green Tea (one tea bag) 20
White Tea (one tea bag) 15
Decaf Tea (one tea bag) 2</p>
<p>So, if I can substitute green tea for coffee in the morning for about a week then substitute decaf green tea for green tea, I should be able to overcome the addiction without too harsh of side effects.</p>
<p>I speak from experience. I’m an avid coffee drinker with beautiful pearly whites. All I do is use a few days worth of Crest white strips every few months and my teeth return to their normal whiteness. They’re enamel safe, dentist recommended, etc. Also switch to a whitening toothpaste. They don’t really work to whiten your teeth if they’re already yellow, but they help keep the staining to a minimum. Regular Crest Whitening will do, you don’t need to buy anything crazy.</p>
<p>Oops now that I went back and read your post carefully, I see that you said you don’t want to use chemicals. Well anyway now its out there!</p>
<p>In any case, in terms of cleaniness, caffeine basically defeats the point. if you’re using caffeine, that’s not what I’d consider “clean,” so feel free to add in all the rest.</p>
<p>Green tea is a good way to go, but you’ll need lots of it. I personally prefer Bawls energy drink because there’s no food coloring in it - it’s just sugar, water, guarana extract, and caffeine. Then, they have a different-tasting version with more caffeine and without sugar. I order the 48-packs on Amazon and take advantage of free Prime shipping.</p>
<p>The best alternative is to exercise (intense cardio and some weight lifting) instead.You will have more energy naturally in addition to looking and feeling better. Works better than any drink or food and you will be thinking clearer.</p>
<p>excelblue, caffeine is “clean” in my book. It’s a naturally occurring chemical, which I thought was fine in moderation. However, due to the realization that I am probably addicted to it, I am cutting it out. I’m going the green tea route to minimize my caffeine consumption, so I’m not going to scout out stuff that has the most caffeine possible in it.</p>
<p>Darkdream, I run 3-10 miles every day…training for a half marathon. I don’t think my lack of exercise is the problem. :)</p>
<p>^^ I second exercise. Drinking cold water non stop also helps. It’s healthy and you’ll never fall asleep because you’ll have to get up to pee every 20 minutes.</p>
<p>5 hour energy is apparently pretty bad for you if you use it on a regular basis.</p>
<p>My dad said he used to just straight up mash coffee beans and eat the powder when he was in college. Its not enjoyable or anything but it deals with the teeth issue.</p>
<p>Energy drinks are generally a big no, as well. According to my dentist, they are worse for your teeth than both coffee and soda. </p>
<p>If I were you, I’d up the exercise and drink A LOT of water. Being well hydrated will help to eliminate some drowsiness. Just try to aim for 7-8 hours of sleep… which is kind of impossible for a college student. So. Exercise and water!!!</p>
<p>If you drink your coffee through a straw (weird, I know) if your teeth stain it will only be in the back.</p>
<p>I definitely believe that energy drinks are worse for your teeth. They make mine hurt SO BAD.</p>
<p>Personally, if I need to wake up I just drink a glass of ice water. Coffee doesn’t wake me up, it puts me to sleep. <em>shrug</em> Comfort food, I guess.</p>
<p>Sometimes if I don’t feel like drinking coffee, I’ll have chocolate covered coffee beans from Starbucks. They really work…especially if you pop a bunch of 'em in haha. I don’t think they damage your teeth any more than eating a piece of chocolate would</p>