How to Enjoy Summer Cocktails That Won’t Rot or Stain Your Teeth
During the warm months, few things are more enjoyable than drinks on the veranda with friends. But those who are serious about their smile know that there are hidden dangers in so many favorite drinks.
Red wine stains your teeth. Fruity cocktails rot them. How can you safely enjoy your favorite drinks this summer?
In this article, we provide an overview of why these enjoyable cocktails can be harmful and what you can do about it.
The Dangers of Fruity Cocktails
There are a few risk factors for consuming fruity alcoholic beverages. The first? Halitosis. Bad breath. Alcohol dehydrates your mouth. This means less saliva. Less saliva means more bacteria.
Bacteria smells bad.
This concern can be navigated easily enough through several simple strategies. First, and always a good idea with alcohol, practice moderation. In typical quantities, the risks are minimal, particularly when paired with our second recommendation.
Come prepared with a method of freshening up. You don’t need to keep a toothbrush in your pocket or purse, but you can save a little face with breath mints or even minty gum.
The other concern regarding fruity cocktails is a little more nefarious. The high sugar content. Any child can tell you that sugar will rot your teeth. Is it true? Kind of, sort of, maybe?
Or more simply, yes.
If you eat sugar and do nothing in the way of preventative care, your teeth will deteriorate. But it’s not the food itself. It’s how your body reacts to it. When sugar particles wind up on your teeth, they trigger an acidic response in your mouth. That acid really likes to eat the sugar, and maybe thanks to overenthusiasm, it will take chunks out of your teeth in the process.
The surest way to protect against sugar-related deterioration is to brush regularly. If you are healthy, you can probably get away with a typical twice-daily brushing routine. Just make sure you’re practicing proper technique and brushing for at least two minutes at a time.
If your teeth are more sensitive or prone to cavities, you may want to focus on more specific timing. You’ll avoid complications altogether if you brush shortly after consuming sugary beverages or, for that matter, foods.
This again raises the question of having an emergency toothbrush on hand. Do you need one? Probably not, but it’s also not the worst quirk a person has ever had.
The Dangers of Red Wine
Oh boy. A controversial topic if ever there was one. On the one hand, who doesn’t enjoy a nice relaxing glass of red wine? Certainly, it pairs well with al fresco dining and good conversation. To that end, it’s given many bad conversations a helping hand as well.
And isn’t there something about how it’s good for your heart? If that’s not true, don’t tell us about it.
Here’s what we do know: dark foods and drinks can stain your teeth, particularly with regular exposure. Now you might be saying to yourself, “During the summer I’m more of a Pinot Grigio sort anyway.” And that’s all well and good, but if a hearty red does find its way into your hand now and again, you needn’t panic.
Similar steps to what we last recommended will apply in this situation. Brush regularly. If you’re not going to be brushing your teeth within a couple of hours of drinking, consider washing your mouth out with water after a glass or two.
You can also invest in whitening toothpaste if you are prone to staining.
How Much Do You Need to Worry About Drink and Food Related Tooth Deterioration?
That’s a good question, and the answer will vary from person to person. If you’re twenty-two years old, you probably don’t need to worry about these things as much as someone in their forties or fifties.
Now that said, good habits are foundational. And even young readers will get more mileage out of their natural smile if they take good care of it while they’re healthy. After all, it’s always easier and better to be proactive rather than reactive.
Nevertheless, there is a question of living life versus coveting a perfect smile. There are plenty of good reasons to abstain from alcohol, but maybe an obsession with how your teeth look isn’t one of them.
It’s okay to have a little bit of fun with friends in the summer. If you’re worried about the impact drinks have on your smile, practice basic precautions. If those precautions aren’t working, it’s probably time to talk your situation over with a dentist. You can schedule an appointment online at Integrated Dental.
They’ll be able to provide you with more personalized recommendations for why you’re having trouble with staining or deterioration.