Is Red Wine Staining My Teeth?

If you enjoy red wine and are curious whether it stains your teeth, then the answer is Yes!

Red wine causes extrinsic stains on the surface of the teeth.  Just like tea and coffee, red wine has intense colour pigments that can get absorbed into the outer layer of enamel and make your teeth look like vampire teeth. The another ingredient in red wine is tannins which can help these colour pigments bind to your teeth. The acidity of the wine doesn’t help either. It makes your enamel more porous. The increased porosity causes these pigments to attach to the enamel through tannins in the wine. So there you go, it can cause teeth staining. But didn’t your doctor say, a glass of wine is good for your heart health? Well, red wine in moderation can benefit heart health or lessen your chance of having heart disease. So, do you now find yourself in a dilemma as to whether to have a that glass of wine and improve your heart health or to avoid it to prevent teeth staining?

How can I stop red wine from staining my teeth?

There are certain tricks and tips that you can follow to enjoy your glass of red wine without having to worry about teeth staining. Let us see how!

• Brush and floss your teeth before drinking red wine – Brushing and flossing your teeth before hand removes any plaque, biofilm, and food residue from your teeth. These can absorb the colour pigments from the wine. Hence by removing these you are reducing any chances of teeth staining from red wine.
• Snacking on vegetables – Vegetables like carrots, celery are healthy snacks that will increase the flow of saliva as you chew on them. They also help in physically scrubbing away any wine stains from teeth.
• Cheese – Cheese and Red wine are a match made in heaven. Not only they go well with each other because of the taste but cheese is highly alkaline and it helps encounter the acidity of the red wine.
• Water – Any alcohol can have dehydrating effect on the body. Sipping water in between will flush away any red wine stains and will keep you hydrated as well.
• Wine Wipes – You can always wipe the wine off your smile with the Wine Wipes by Boyd & Co. the Wine Wipes remove any red wine stains from your mouth and teeth but won’t interfere with the taste of your next glass.
• Wino Sippers – You can also try sipping your wine with a straw rather than sipping from the glass. But if you do not like the idea of holding a straw in your wine glass, why not try Wino Sippers, the wine glasses with a built-in straw.
• Take Home Teeth Whitening Gel – These come handy specially after a big event like a wedding or a party where you wanted to enjoy more than a single glass of wine. A touch up with the take home teeth whitening gel will help restore the whiteness back to your teeth. We offer Zoom Take Home Whitening Gel 14% strength at our practice. Give us a call on 07 3399 6228 to find out more.

• In Chair Teeth Whitening Procedure – If you have been a red wine drinker for a long time and you would like a little make over for your teeth, we offer Zoom In Chair Teeth Whitening Procedure. It is a safe and effective way of whitening your teeth instantaneously. 

If you are unsure which whitening method is best suited for you, please click on the link below to read our blog on Teeth Whitening

https://toothsmartdental.com.au/in-chair-or-take-home-whitening-whats-better-for-me/