Does red wine always stain teeth?

Have you ever noticed that some people can drink red wine without getting stains all over their teeth? Whereas you have one sip and have to keep your mouth closed for the rest of the night. This isn’t your imagination. In fact, it’s all about your genes and your oral health habits.

Why Does Red Wine Stain?

Red wine is almost the perfect drink if you want stained teeth because it contains a number of components that seem designed to do just that. Your best defence against this is strong enamel. Enamel is the hard, outer surface of your teeth. Unfortunately, the strength of your enamel is determined by your age and by genetics and you can’t control either of these factors. So, if you have weaker enamel, it will wear away as you get older with constant use and you will be more likely to get stains from red wine.

Red wine contains two main substances that stain your teeth, which are:

High Acidity

Wine is high in acid. In fact, even white wine has high acidity, which is why it can leave your teeth yellow. The acids in wine wear away the enamel of your teeth and allow the dentin to show through. The dentin is the nerve rich, yellow part at the centre of each tooth. And when the dentin is showing through the end result is yellow, dirty looking teeth.

Colouring

Red wine contains coloured substances called chromogens and these are the primary cause of the reddish-purple stain. Another substance in red wine, called tannins, help bind the chromogens to your teeth, creating the perfect storm for teeth stains.

General Ageing

Another issue that affects whether your teeth pick up red wine stains is wear and tear. Over time, tiny cracks naturally develop in your teeth. These cracks allow wine to penetrate the enamel and leave stains that just won’t shift. The only way to remove these stains is with a professional teeth whitening treatment at your dentist, because they’ll use bleaching products.

How to Protect Your Teeth

If you don’t want to give up your red wine for the sake of your teeth, then you need to protect them. You can’t change your age or your genetics, but you can take care of the enamel you do have so that it will protect against stains as much as possible. Here’s how:

Brush your teeth at least twice a day because plaque is more likely to get stained by red wine.
Brush your teeth half an hour before drinking to ensure that your teeth are clean.
Don’t brush right after drinking, because the acid from red wine will damage the enamel and brushing will just make it worse.
Eat protein while you drink because it will create a stain resistant barrier on your teeth.
Drink through a straw to keep the wine away from your teeth.
Don’t swish or swirl, just swallow it down so the wine doesn’t linger around your teeth.
Drink white wine if possible or choose a lighter red wine.