How to Prevent Red Wine from Staining Your Teeth

Red wine is delicious, but it also suffers from the justified reputation for very quickly staining people's teeth. This is due to its blend of natural dyes, acids, and tannins—three ingredients which easily infiltrate the micro-pores of your teeth and temporarily colour your saliva.

Nobody who enjoys a nice glass of red wants to see their drink of choice reflected in their smile. Luckily, there a number of ways in which staining can be minimised.

Brush One Hour before Drinking

Brushing your teeth right after drinking or eating actually softens them, so avoid making that mistake. Instead brush around an hour before a dinner party or wine tasting session. Doing so will leave your teeth smooth and clean, making it harder for dyes, acids, and tannins to stain the enamel.

Don't Start with White Wine

Lots of people attempt to minimise the impact of staining by starting with a white wine before moving onto a red. However, white is the more acidic of the two. This means that it erodes your tooth enamel, creating mini-channels to make your teeth more porous and therefore easier to stain.

Eat Cheese and Drink Water

You'll want to avoid white wine, but drinking water can help wash away red wine from your saliva, so try taking a few sips between glasses. You can also combine your red wine with cheese—rarely a suggestion that people would find unpleasant! This doesn't just create a classic taste combination; cheese causes calcium to build up on your teeth, closing pores and making it harder for to red wine to penetrate. Hard cheeses generally boast the most calcium, and, as an added bonus, are usually far healthier.

Minimise Contact

When you're touring the wine country or participating in a wine-tasting event, part of the process is to fully savour the wine. This involves examining the colouration, smelling its bouquet, and allowing the wine to circulate within your mouth before either swallowing or spitting it out. This is part of the fun, but try to avoid leaving the wine in your mouth too long when you're simply drinking for pleasure. The lower the amount of contact time with your teeth, the less chance red wine has of staining them.

Of course, just like the majority of food and drink, red wine can never be completely stopped from staining your teeth. However, following these tips can vastly reduce the problem. For more tips or assistance on brightening your smile, consult clinics like Revesby Dental Centre.