17 Dec Surprising Effects of Wine, Tea, and Milk on Teeth and Overall Oral Health

These are the most surprising effects of wine, tea, and milk on your oral health. We also cover how to prevent periodontics & gum diseases and tooth loss. 

Enamel is undoubtedly the hardest tissue of our body, but the surprising fact is that despite being the hardest tissue it’s extremely susceptible to erosion by acids. Acid is the primary component in all kinds of wine. On the other hand, tannins are the main component of all kinds of tea that cause stained gums and teeth. Regularly consuming both black tea and wine without proper oral hygiene can lead to periodontics & gum diseases and even tooth loss.

Read on to know everything about all the positive and negative effects of wine, milk and tea on your oral health.

The Bad Guys

How Tea Affects your Teeth

Do tea stain teeth? The answer is yes, it does stain your teeth. If these stains are left untreated, they might become very hard to get rid of. Once a layer of stain forms up on your teeth, periodontics is the only option you are left with.

Consuming more black tea twice or thrice daily without practising proper oral hygiene can even lead to gum disease and tooth loss. If you don’t want to give up on tea it’s important to take great care of your teeth. Brushing immediately after consuming tea or eating a detergent food like an apple can help you stay away from tooth stains.

●      Reduce Stains Caused by Tea

Consuming more tea can cause discolouration that lasts for a long time. However, the good news is that It’s still possible to deal with these stains and discolourations.

Brushing regularly, along with flossing and rinsing with a good mouthwash can help prevent these stains. Drinking water after drinking tea can also help reduce staining by a fair margin. If you think prevention measures are too much for you then you can also switch from black tea to herbal tea.

Surprising Effects of Wine on Teeth

Unlike black tea, wine has both negative and positive effects on our teeth. However, research has proven that it’s negative effects overwhelm the positive ones.

Negative Effects of Wine in Teeth

Two most immediate negative effects of wine on teeth that pop up are tooth staining and discolouration. Wine-mouth is a short term problem that can cause some embarrassment. Most of the time red wine takes all the blame for these problems.

In addition to harmful acids and alcohol, red wine also has chromogens that cause tooth staining. Tannins in red wine also help in tooth staining by binding the tooth together.

The acids in the wine cause enamel depletion. The depletion of enamel starts making the dentin layer more visible. The dentin layer is pale yellowish in colour, the visibility of dentin layers makes teeth appear more yellowish and not white.

Positive Effects of Wine on Teeth

Wine is very bad for oral health but it also has some advantages to it.

• It helps prevent bacteria from sticking to your teeth and gums
• The acidic content in wine kills off the harmful bacteria and grape seed extracts prevent them from sticking to teeth.

Effect of Milk on Teeth

We all know that teeth are made of calcium and milk provides us with much-needed calcium. Cheese, yogurt, milk and all dairy products that are made from milk also help make saliva that balances the overall pH and prevent enamel deterioration. The calcium also helps to provide teeth with all the essential minerals that are lost due to wine consumption, smoking, or black tea.

However, milk cannot deal with the issue of tooth staining and may also cause even more stains if you are not careful. Make sure you brush your teeth after drinking milk or eating cheese, to prevent stains and bad odour.

Foods that Boost Oral Health

• Brush your teeth twice daily and floss at least once a day
• Avoid sugary and sticky foods. Whenever you consume sugary foods make sure you clean your teeth afterwards.
• Drink more and more water as it balances the pH and prevents pigmentation, discolouration and boosts oral health.
• Limit snacks between meals. Well, if you can’t stop yourself from having one, choose a nutritious snack that doesn’t risk oral health.

Final Verdict

All kinds of foods are part of life, you cannot just leave some food for saving yourself from dental problems. As stated by a dentist in Stafford, maintaining good oral hygiene is the best practice for Periodontics & Gum Diseases as well as to prevent tooth loss.

Make a habit of taking care of your teeth & gums and you can drink or eat anything. Overconsumption of any food is bad, either it’s milk, black tea or wine. A balanced diet is what you should always look for.