Sitting waiting for my appointment at the dentist. I worry about my teeth because I’m tasting so much wine. Getting teeth fixed is expensive and uncomfortable, and I’d quite like to keep these ones I have as long as possible.
But exposing them regularly to acidic liquids is not ideal. After a long tasting my mouth often feels a bit beaten up. Whites tend to have low pH, and Champagnes lowest of all, which means that they’re more acidic (although the pH isn’t strictly correlated with the quantity of acid, measured as TA). German Rieslings might hover just above pH3; sparkling wines are typically just on pH3. Reds are usually 3.6 or above.
The most important thing to remember is not to brush your teeth after a big tasting, even if your mouth looks weird and your teeth black. You need to wait a couple of hours at least, or else you’ll damage the softened enamel.
2 Comments on At the dentist
It’s hard to look after your teeth when you’re regularly tasting wine. My dentist recently told me to use a flouride mouthwash after a tasting rather than brushing. As you point out, brushing too soon is actually the worst thing you can do!
I too taste extensively and my last visit to my dentist (I hadnt been for a couple of years!) he said “I know what you do for a living, but with the state of your teeth, I would never guess it”. My regime, which obviously gets the tooth up sign from my dentist is, the night before a big tasting do the usual cleaning, then I brush with Recaldent Mi Paste Plus and do not rinse. In the morning I will only lightly brush or just use a light mouthwash (the plaque build up actually protects against the acid attack). After the tasting, ideally restore the pH balance in your mouth with some cheese. I know black teeth are horrible, but brushing too soon rips away the enamel which has been softened by the acid in the wine. The Recaldent paste actually gets to work to restore as well as protect tooth enamel. Well, it works for me!