Outside of regular brushing and flossing, effective measures to allay this disease are limited, Shimazaki, of Kyushu University in Fukuoka, Japan, and colleagues note in the Journal of Periodontology.

One simple thing you can do to head off bacteria is floss your teeth.

See your dentist for regular checkups and professional cleaning. The abrasion and polishing methods dentists use can remove most teeth stains caused by food and tobacco.