Sangria, sparkling, rose, red, moscato, white, beer, ale, cider, sweet, dry or with passionfruit overtones. All of these fabulous alcohols are a no go this Dry July as people go alcohol free for July and raise money for Charities Supporting People with Cancer.
Teeth and alcohol do have some issues
Most alcohols are acidic and the acid can remove the surface layers of enamel from teeth and can erode exposed root surface areas. Recommendations for wine makers and professional wine tasters have been in use for almost a decade in relation to teeth and alcohol. The recommendation is to use a remineralising creme regularly to prevent loss of tooth structure. We have the GC products containing the peptide complex CPP-ACP (casein phosphopeptide amorphous calcium phosphate) at the clinic available for purchase to assist in remineralising teeth from acid erosion and to help prevent further erosion. This product, called Tooth Mousse and Tooth Mousse Plus (added Fluoride) is derived from milk protein. They come in a variety of flavours but none with passionfruit overtones! Your dentist may also recommend that you have special flexible trays made to keep the remineralising agent on your teeth for longer.
Other sources of acid that can remove the surface layers from teeth and erode the exposed root surfaces areas are lemon in water, sparkling waters or tonic waters, iced tea (loads of sugar), bubble tea (also loads of sugar), sports drinks (also loads of sugar), regular sipping of fruit juice and carbonated drinks. Tooth mousse and Tooth mousse plus will also help with reducing this erosion but prevention is better than cure. Water is a fabulous alternative to hydrate!
Ultimately the issue with removing the enamel surface of the teeth is that the teeth become darker as the dentine part of the tooth shines through the surface and they become much more sensitive. We can help replace the enamel with tooth-coloured resins or porcelain. This can be a more complicated process and can be quite costly. We can sometimes use a dental bleach on the enamel but the thinner the enamel is the less successful the bleach can be and your teeth can be much more sensitive during the process.
See you in the clinic! The Adelaide City Dental Care Team. PS: check out our socials (Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram) for top tips for teeth, mouth and gums and dental family snaps! Maybe even the latest video on YouTube.
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