Red wine and teeth

How Safe Is Red Wine for Your Teeth?

Wine Causes More Damage than Just Stained Teeth

Many people enjoy a glass of red wine with their meal. It is considered a staple by some people and they would miss it if not served with their meal. It is also well-known to be capable of producing strong stains, and many people have stained teeth because of it. Besides the red wine teeth, red wine is also capable of producing tooth enamel erosion. 

 

Tooth Discoloration

Red wine, along with tea and coffee contains tannins. This substance can stain your teeth. It can do this because the enamel on your teeth consists of ridges and pits – even though it may look smooth to the eye. When you drink or eat, food particles and the dyes in the wine get caught on the ridges and leave your teeth stained

White wine is actually no better for you when it comes to having stained teeth. Although it is not red, it still contains the tannins that are responsible for the staining power of wine. 

 

Acidic Drinks

Being that red wine contains alcohol, it clearly falls into the category of acidic foods. It has a strong pH level of somewhere between 2.9 and 3.5, and this means that it can damage the enamel on your teeth. Drinking wine often can definitely cause acid erosion, and leave you with wine stained teeth. 

The acid literally starts to dissolve the enamel. Over time, it becomes thin. This leads to a changing of the color of your teeth because of the color of the under layer, which is a darker yellow. You may also experience pain because the nerves in your teeth become exposed. This is a problem because enamel does not grow back. 

 

Alcohol and Dehydration

Alcohol is also bad for your teeth because it will dry out your mouth. It is a diuretic, which means it helps you eliminate water from your mouth and body. 

Having a dry mouth is bad for teeth because your saliva helps keep the bad bacteria in your mouth under control. Saliva also helps to strengthen your teeth.

 

Mixing Red Wine with Soda

People who enjoy mixing their red wine with soda are actually causing worse dental damage. Soda has its own acids in them, and a lot of sugar, with Coke having about nine teaspoons per can. The sugar in the soda will cause the bad bacteria in your mouth to grow. When it does, they produce acid, too. The combined acids mean that the erosion process takes place even faster.

 

Cancer Risk

While the health benefits of drinking red wine are often touted loud and clear, some recent studies have found a connection between alcohol and mouth cancer. A look at mouth cancer patients discovered that 75 to 80 percent of them admitted to drinking alcohol often. Cancer is even more likely to develop when combined with smoking. 

 

How to Remove Stains from Teeth

If your teeth are stained from red wine, there are several ways to remedy the problem and get beautiful white teeth again. One way would be to buy a teeth whitening kit at your local store. They work slowly, taking about two weeks to whiten your teeth. It will, however, only get your teeth between one or two shades brighter. 

A faster way is to go to your dentist and ask about teeth whitening options. A dentist can provide you with much whiter teeth faster. Because they supervise the process, they can use stronger chemicals that will get your teeth 1about six shades brighter in just one session. A dentist can also provide you with teeth whitening chemicals to use at home, but they will not be as strong as you can get in the office. 

 

Dental Veneers

Probably the best way to get really white teeth is to get dental veneers. These are porcelain caps that are placed on the front of your teeth. Because they cover your teeth, they are often used to cover up a wide variety of problems. They can be used to hide problems such as chips, wine stained teeth, short teeth, teeth that are slightly misaligned and even gaps between your teeth. After they are applied, they will give you a Hollywood smile. 

Being that veneers are made of porcelain, they reflect light like your natural teeth. They can also be tinted to match the color of your existing teeth. Veneers have the added advantage that when they are taken care of properly, they can last between 15 to 20 years. 

 

Dental Caps

If you have individual teeth that are badly stained, a dental cap can give you a white smile again. Dental caps are also made of porcelain and will look natural. This process removes the top part of your tooth and replaces it with a ceramic crown. A crown can last the rest of your life. 

If you want to know more about how to remove stains from teeth as a result from drinking red wine, you can get help from our expert dental team at Champion dental, Farmers Branch , and regain that beautiful smile. Contact our office today at (214) 747-0763 for more information or to set up a consultation.

coffee good for teeth?

Is Drinking Coffee Affecting Your Teeth?

That Sweet Morning Drink May Be Leading You to the Dentist

coffee good for teeth?

The beloved drink that many Americans start their day with may be affecting their teeth in a bad way. If you want to keep your teeth in good shape, you may want to think twice about sipping on coffee all day long. In addition to the fact that coffee stains teeth, you should know that it is likely helping your beautiful teeth to become bad teeth. 

 

Coffee and Teeth

Although your teeth appear to be solid, they are actually neither smooth, nor solid. When seen under a microscope, teeth contain many ridges and pits, and food can easily be trapped on them. Food that contains various dyes and pigments in them can also get trapped on your teeth, and this will eventually cause discoloration. 

When starting to drink a dark liquid like coffee, people may ask: Does coffee stain your teeth?

The answer is a definite yes. Acidic foods such as coffee are notorious for being able to stain your teeth over time. Coffee contains tannins, which is also contained in tea and some wines. The good news is that stained teeth from coffee is not permanent.

Another common problem is coffee plaque. If you have plaque on your teeth, it can also become stained from coffee. This can create brown edges between your teeth and on your gum line where the plaque accumulates. 

 

Coffee and Health

Many studies recently are showing that coffee has a lot of health benefits, says the American Dental Association. It can reduce the likelihood of getting some serious diseases when taken in moderation. Although it can stain your teeth, the problem with drinking coffee is largely in the amount of sugar people consume with it. 

Fancy coffees being sold at special coffee shops, such as Starbucks, contain an awful lot of sugar. According to CNN, some of their popular coffees contain as much as 25 teaspoons of sugar. When compared to a can of Coke, it is 2.5 times as much! Special coffees sold at other stores may not be much better.

 

Coffee Tooth Decay

Besides staining your teeth, sugar creates another big problem. The bacteria in your mouth that causes tooth decay feeds on sugar. When you leave a lot of sugar on your teeth, such as when you drink that coffee with loads of it and don’t brush your teeth afterward, you are causing the growth of harmful bacteria.

When multiplying, the bacteria produce an acid that will deteriorate your tooth enamel. Leaving the sugar on your teeth all day is bad for your teeth. This allows the bacteria to cause even more decay. When you sip coffee all day with sugar in it, the bacteria continues to grow and produce even more acid. 

When you add the acid from the coffee to the acid being produced by the bacteria, it causes even more damage to your teeth. In addition to the stain from coffee’s dark color, the enamel on your teeth becomes thinner as the acids wear it away. 

As it gets thinner, the underlying color of the dentin in your teeth – the underlying layer – begins to be seen. This causes your teeth to turn yellow.

 

Dry Mouth

Drinking coffee also causes dry mouth. This is an additional problem because your saliva helps to destroy the bacteria producing the acid. Without healthy amounts of saliva to keep the bacteria in check, the bacteria continue to multiply and produce more acid. Saliva also helps to heal your teeth, even repairing some of the damage. 

 

Preventing Coffee Stain

Adding more cream to your coffee will lighten the color of it in your cup. It will not, however, prevent your teeth from becoming stained because the tannins are still in the coffee – there is just less of them. The only difference is that it might take longer to turn your teeth yellow. 

When you add creamer to your coffee to make it lighter in color, you are also adding more sugar. The best way to reduce the stains from appearing from coffee is to cut down on coffee altogether, or at least reduce it to about two cups a day. 

 

Options for Teeth Whitening

If you have coffee stained teeth, there are several ways to restore their white color at the dentist’s office. Three popular options include:

  • Teeth Whitening

Although there are teeth whitening kits at the local store, these are not nearly as effective as your dentist can make them. Kits at the store are only able to whiten your teeth one or two shades lighter, and it will often take about two weeks or longer. The dentist can make them about six shades lighter in just one sitting!

  • Veneers

Veneers are porcelain caps that fit on the front of your teeth. They provide a powerful advantage of being able to cover up many flaws, such as slightly misaligned teeth, chips, discolored teeth, and even gaps between your teeth. They are made in a lab and look natural.

Once your teeth are made white again, you need to be aware that drinks such as coffee will stain them again. One way to prevent this is to drink water to rinse the coffee out of your mouth right after drinking it – and the sugar and tannins with it. Brushing right after drinking coffee will also help. 

 

If you have stained teeth from coffee, and live in the Farmers Branch  TX area, Our Champion Dental expert dentist team can help you. We provide teeth whitening and a wide variety of dental services to help remove the coffee effects on teeth and restore your white smile and repair damage from enamel erosion. You can contact our office today at (214) 747-0763 for an appointment.