Respite with Chardonnay, sip the stress away! It’s carefree time. On
the other side of the coin, white wine can also make your cosmetic
dentist frown for your dulling smile. We are talking about the tooth
stain effect from white wine – what’s that, you ask? White wine stains
your teeth? You probably are already aware that certain foods can cause
staining and discoloration to your teeth – but many foods or beverages
without a strong or dark color (which look innocent) can still cause
stains on your teeth.
A new NYU study shows white wine has an acid content that tends to
increase the risk of stain or darkening of your teeth, if combined with
other habits of drinking tea, or similar dark beverages. Do not be
fooled by the crystal clear appearance of a white wine – it certainly
is capable of dulling your teeth. Certain acidic properties present in
wine (white, red or rose) create micro-porosity etching rough the
surface of your teeth, which make your teeth much more susceptible to
stains from other foods. For example, if you were to drink a glass of
white wine with your spaghetti dinner, the acidic properties in the
white wine could make your teeth more prone to staining from the red
spaghetti sauce in your meal, or the cup of tea after the dinner beside
your wine! Red wine is still more “dangerous” to the pearly opalescence
of your teeth than white, however, as it contains pigment molecules
known as chromagen, which will stain your teeth., but all wines contain
tannins act as a binding protein, which will aid chromogen to saturate
themselves upon the surface of the tooth.
Sodas and other beverages like ice tea and cocktails can wreak havoc
upon your teeth as well, and not just the color! Stringent acids or
sugars (turned into acids) present in most sodas (and acidic fruit
juice, like lemonade) are the worst type of liquid to expose your teeth to, and can cause tooth erosion and tooth decay. A
bleaching effect of phosphoric acid in the soda can also weaken your
bone in addition to their staining properties. If
you must drink any of these liquids, be sure to brush and floss after
every meal – or at the very least, rinse your mouth or have a glass of
water. Do not allow your oral environment stay in an acid bath! If you
can feel astringency or drying of the mouth, drink some water and rinse
your mouth before brushing to prevent rubbing the acid into your teeth.
Please enjoy your glass of wine, just be wise about the
consequences! Yes, we can still keep your healthy and clean looking
smile if we keep up the good oral hygiene habits.
