MOST of us Brits would struggle to get through the day without a comforting cup of tea.
But it turns out the nation's favourite drink could be even worse than coffee when it comes to discolouring our teeth.
ALAMY
It turns out drinking tea could be making our teeth more discoloured than coffee
This is down to staining compounds theaflavins, thearubigins and theabrownins, which are all found in your standard cuppa.
And it's bad news for fans of a builder's brew, as the stronger the tea, the worse the staining will be.
The process of fermenting tea is different to coffee roasting, which relies entirely on heat to break down the beans.
High levels of tannins found in tea can also lead to discolouration of the teeth, as tannic acid creates plaque on your teeth which causes yellowing.
GETTY - CONTRIBUTOR
The longer you brew your cuppa for, the worse the discolouration effect
Jordan Kirk, a dental expert for dental brand White Glo, said both regular and fruit tea can have negative effects on the colour and health of your teeth.
"Tooth enamel is naturally porous and can absorb the tannins in tea, leading to unpleasant brown discolouration of your teeth," he explained.
Given we knock back around 60.2 billion cups of tea a year in the UK, does all this mean we have to put down our tea cups forever if we want white teeth?
One way to combat the effects of tea is White Glo's special Coffee & Tea Drinkers Formula toothpaste.
It contains micro polishing particles to target discolouration and yellowing on the tooth enamel caused by consumption of tea over time.
This formulation also has a micro wax shield coating to protect your tooth enamel from tea and coffee staining.
With that in mind, we reckon it's time to stick the kettle on...
Everyone has a personal preference when it comes to making the perfect cuppa.
But should you microwave tea? While one expert recommends it, some people are outraged by the very suggestion.