How to Protect Your Teeth From Red Wine Stains

One of the best ways to unwind on the weekend is with your favorite glass of wine. Unfortunately, drinking excessive amounts of red wine can often result in an unsightly purple tinge all over your teeth, which is precarious in a social setting because the problem will only grow more severe the more you drink. To combat this, and potentially help you win that date with the person you’ve been smiling at, here are a few helpful tips to help protect your teeth from red wine stains.

1. To Brush Or Not To Brush

If you thought that brushing your teeth was the best method to remove red wine stains, think again. Red wine is highly acidic, which weakens the enamel on your teeth and makes it vulnerable to scratches, like those produces by the bristles on your toothbrush. The best way to avoid this issue is to brush your teeth about one hour before drinking the wine. By doing so, you are removing plaque, which makes it harder for the wine to cling to your teeth.

2. Things Are About To Get Cheesy

Cheese and wine, wine and cheese–is there a more perfect pair? They both taste fantastic together, but did you know that cheese simultaneously promotes calcium growth and shrinks the pores on your teeth, making it harder for wine to stain. Another effective food-based method are foods with a high fiber content (for example, broccoli, potatoes, apples, etc), which will aid the production of saliva, making it more difficult for the wine to cling to your teeth.

3. Sparkling Water Will Come In Handy

Swishing your mouth with sparkling water in-between glasses of wine is a great way to fight against potential stains. This is because the bubbles in the water will make it harder for the wine to settle on the teeth. For a double whammy, you could drink the water (it is water, after all) to stay hydrated too!

4. White Wine? Please Keep Reading

There are plenty of people that prefer to start their night with a glass of white wine and slowly progress to reds as the night trudges on. While this is a great way to end up on the bathroom floor, it’s not at all good for your enamel. Like their red wine counterparts, the acids in white wines erode enamel and make it easier for red wine to stick.