Wine and Your Teeth

One of the least-publicised concerns with tasting and drinking wine is its effect on the teeth. When learning wine making at Roseworthy College I remember hearing with much amusement at the time how one of Australia’s more eminent wine making educators had recently experienced a re-enameling of his entire collection, something he was able to claim against the then equivalent of Work Care.

Since that time I’ve learned of other prominent wine industry people who regularly take the set in for a re-coat, a particularly expensive process. And, as over the years I have tasted more and more wine, the blackened grin I now exhibit after twenty or so decent reds has now in turn become rather a source of amusement for my friends.

It’s quite logical that the low pH of wine should soften the tooth enamel, something our far-seeing Creator has yet to find a way of naturally replenishing. So, when at the end of a long session people think to brush away the red and purple stains on their teeth, it’s an alarming reality that they’re actually scrubbing away their tooth enamel and calcium. Sooner or later, you get down to the sensitive dentine itself, and I’m told that’s no fun at all.

So wine tasters should carefully consider when they brush their teeth and how. Regardless of any other treatment I now regularly undertake, the most important thing I attempt to remember is to thoroughly rinse my poor teeth in a perfectly disgusting solution of water and sodium bicarbonate. I dissolve a decent teaspoon in a large glass and rinse my way through the lot. It certainly helps to harden up the enamel, but doesn’t actually re-mineralise the teeth. It does, however, certainly protect against the next time my teeth are cleaned, having adjusted the pH of the enamel upwards and hopefully out of the danger zone.

Another tip I can pass on is to eat an apple or two immediately after tasting. This in itself can remove much of the immediate staining without any damage and will certainly freshen the mouth in a natural way.
So, never brush your teeth immediately after a tasting. If you’re doing a lot of tasting for a few days, brush as lightly as you possibly can.

Some dental friends of mine who take regularly to wine have helped introduce me to a great new product which has certainly helped to reverse the degeneration of my own teeth. My dentist has been involved since the earliest days of the product’s release and, having several wine tasters on his books, is now totally convinced of its merits.

The product is called Topacal. It’s a fluoride rinse that actually remineralises the tooth surface and restores some of the damage which regular wine tasting can inflict.

It can be applied in two main ways and I use both. Firstly, a short measure about 1 cm of the gel can be applied to a toothbrush for a very gentle clean immediately after tasting. I would only do this after a decent rinse with the bicarb to make sure the teeth are now damaged by even this gentle clean.

Secondly, it can be applied in a splint which a dentist can manufacture to precisely fit your mouth. I only need one for my top layer of teeth, since that’s where most of the damage resides. A few drops of Topical along the length of the splint made like a mouthguard but from clear rubber should be given a minimum of an hour’s contact with the teeth. Or you might decide to sleep with the thing on, giving a longer period of contact and remineralisation. The choice is up to you.

The advice in this column is of no value to the overwhelming majority of wine drinkers, since they will never enter the dental danger zone into which my activities have dumped me. So, don’t rush out and panic over this one.

But, if you and your dentist can clearly see some damage which you both agree could relate to your wine consumption or regular tasting activities, take it to heart. Personally, I’m thrilled to find a way of looking after my teeth to the extent that the prospect of an artificial re-enamelling is very remote indeed. Please login to post comment