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These Malaysian Food Will Give You Yellow Teeth But We Know You’ll Eat Them Anyway

"Never gonna give you up!"

Cover image via Jordan Tan (Edited)

Have you ever looked at the mirror and asked yourself, "When did my teeth get so yellow?"

Image via Odyssey

This is often caused by eating food that stains teeth, and honestly, we’d be missing out BIG TIME if we were to give them up completely. Instead of avoiding them, Darlie has a solution for all Malaysian foodies…

We hate to break it to you, but your yellow teeth might have been caused by some of your favourite Malaysian food:

1. The sloppiest burger bakar

Image via foodquestkk

Called the 'dirtiest' burger in Klang Valley, burger bakar is known for its sinful patties and generous serving of sauces. Unfortunately, the sauces - tomato sauce and Worcestershire sauce - have dark colours which can stain your teeth.

But burger bakar without the sauce is not syok...

2. The curry laksa you can't live without

You may want to reconsider having it before an important meeting or presentation as curry has deep pigmentation that can make your teeth turn yellow over time.

How can a Malaysian live without curry tho?

3. The teh O limau that you've been ordering at the mamak since... forever

Image via Abllo / Flickr

You don't even need to think. You just raise your hand and say "Teh O limau ais satu!" at the mamak.

But hold that thought this time, because the tannin and citric acid in the drink can erode your teeth's enamel layer and cause discolouration.

4. The all-time favourites - char koay teow and mee goreng mamak

Image via Fried Chilies
Image via su-lin / Flickr

The thick soy sauce used, another ingredient that has dark pigmentation, can give you yellow teeth after a meal.

You might want to stay away from hokkien mee (gasp) and wantan noodles (double gasp) too.

5. Your best friend in the whole wide world: a big cup of coffee, but you probably knew this already

Must. Have. Coffee. Coffee in the morning, coffee after lunch, coffee all day, err day!

But no, not if you want to keep your teeth white and shiny. Consider cutting down on coffee so you can avoid staining your teeth with the tannin in it.

6. Banana leaf rice with lots and lots of curry

Image via Jordan Tan

Banjir it up with curry and dhal because that's the way we like it!

That may be true for your appetite, but not so for your teeth. Just like curry laksa, the curry dishes that come with a banana leaf meal has strong colours which can give you discoloured teeth over time.

7. The sambal in your nasi lemak. We know, what’s nasi lemak without it? :(

We're not going to tell you to stop having sambal with your nasi lemak, because that would be impossible (nasi lemak without sambal? Nevarrrrr).

Perhaps you can just avoid it before a date or a meeting so your teeth won't get stained by its strong colour?

8. Sirap ais aka the best thing in the world

Except the trouble of getting your teeth stained by the red food dye. While your teeth may not stay red permanently, having sirap ais frequently may make them dull and yellow after a while.

But sirap ais goes super well with spicy food :(

9. Fruit rojak (om nom nom)

Fruit rojak is not rojak without the sweet, dark shrimp paste.

Yet it is the paste's dark colour that will leave your teeth yellow after a meal.

10. The sweet sauce served with local dim sum that’s not even a thing in Hong Kong

It's the most amazing sauce ever. Yet due to it's dark pigmentation, the thick sweet sauce that you like to have with your har gow and shumai can stain your teeth.

11. The icing on gem cookies that’s pretty much a sacred thing of our childhood

And we love the sweet icing even till today, no matter how bad it is for our teeth.

Not only will this cause cavities, the sugar will also stick to our teeth and stain them. Oh, and then there's the food dye that will make it worse.

It seems like you'll have to give up a lot of Malaysian awesomeness just to keep your teeth white and shiny

But trust us, it's not that bad. You just need to start brushing your teeth more regularly.

Image via Darlie

Darlie All Shiny White is a toothpaste that comes with an advanced whitening formula, which contains up to 50 million Speedy Whitening Agent (SWA) and PRO-LITE particles.

These particles not only help whiten your teeth, they also protect them by preventing cavities, giving you a shiny smile and better dental health.

Find out more about Darlie All Shiny White on their website or Facebook page

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