How to Avoid Red Wine Stained Teeth
Tips to keep your teeth white while drinking your favorite red.
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young woman drinking red wineWhen it comes to holiday gatherings, there's nothing like a glass (or three) of petite sirah to kick off a festive affair. Until someone tells a joke, you smile ... and reveal a mouthful of dark, purple-stained teeth. Not sexy. Our beauty expert, Amber Milt, has some ways to avoid that wine tattooed grin and still enjoy your favorite red wines.
DRINK WHITE WINE OR SELTZER
Just like that stain on your carpet, swirling a little white wine or seltzer around in your mouth between glasses of red can help to sop up stains.
USE LIP GLOSS
Forget about lipstick at a holiday meal as it will only comes off when you eat and drink. A much better idea is to use a lightly colored lip gloss and reapply with each glass of red. Since many glosses are petroleum based, they will act as a barrier between your lips and those stain-causing tannins.
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BRUSH BEFORE DINNER
Red wine can actually stain the plaque on your teeth. So one way to avoid this is a solid brushing before dinner.
WIPE AWAY THE TANNINS
Some people simply use a tissue to wipe off the tannins after sipping. There are some neat products on the market like Wine Wipes, that have added ingredients to clean up your smile.
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EAT CHEESE
This is our favorite solution, because it's a great excuse to indulge! Cheese helps in coating teeth with calcium to prevent discoloration of teeth. However, note that all cheese is not created equal. Hard cheeses are best for fighting stains.
ENJOY SOME CRUDITES
Cauliflower, broccoli, and celery contain high fiber content that acts as natural scrub for teeth. In addition, these crunchy vegetables increase the level of saliva produced to help naturally wash away stains, not to mention they are a far-healthier choice than most other holiday appetizers.
DON'T BRUSH AFTER DRINKING
Dentists advise against brushing immediately after drinking red-wine, because the high acidity of the wine renders your teeth sensitive to abrasion. Brush too soon, and you risk damaging the enamel. So try one of the other great methods above to keep your smile white.
CARRY A WHITENING PEN
You could drink your red wine out of a straw, but that's just tacky. So a great way to avoid having red-stained teeth is to carry a purse-size whitening pen or product. Excuse yourself to go to the bathroom and apply over stained teeth. In minutes the peroxide should bubble away those stains. However, keep in mind that bleaching your teeth can actually make them MORE porous and susceptible to staining, so this is only suggested for AFTER you've consumed your last glass for the night.
Remember, the holidays are a wonderful time to enjoy the people and food you like most. Follow these tips and you'll have a white (teeth) Christmas.
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