Party Season, Alcohol and Your Teeth
Risk factors associated with popular drinks.
Party season is just around the corner and hopefully you’ll have a lot to smile about! The office Christmas party, Halloween, Bonfire night, and then all the nights out in between.
But amongst all of the fun, it pays to keep your oral health in mind. To help keep your smile looking beautiful through Autumn and Winter, you need to do all the usual oral health upkeep including:
- Brushing your teeth for two minutes twice a day
- Avoiding staining habits like drinking lots of coffee and smoking
- Visiting Abbey Road Dental every six months or on a more regular basis for hygienist services
- Moderating the amount of sugary food and drinks you consume
- Visiting our St John’s Wood dentist if you feel you have any issues that need looking into before your next checkup
As well as this regular maintenance, you also need to keep an eye on something a little less obvious when it comes to your oral health this party season, and that is the kind of drinks you are consuming. Some drinks are much worse than others for your smile, and the more you know, the better able you are to care for your oral health and keep your beautiful teeth looking beautiful going into 2018.
With this in mind, here are the most and least risky alcoholic drinks for your teeth:
Most risky:
Alcopops
Alcopops are extremely high in sugar and so, are bad for the teeth. Many contain vodka which is known to dry the mouth and so prevents vital saliva from keeping nasty bacteria away. So both together provide a double whammy of bad news for your smile!
Vodka & Cranberry Juice
Vodka dries out the mouth, whilst cranberry juice can contain more sugar than regular coke. The combination might taste nice, but your teeth and gums certainly will not benefit from you drinking this.
Cider
Cider whether it is fruity or just plain apple, is very high in sugar and acid and is bad for the teeth in excess. Even just sipping one cider over the course of an evening means your teeth will be bathed in acid and sugar until you eventually get home to brush them.
Least risky:
Light Beer
Light beer has a relatively low level of alcohol and so is less drying for the mouth. It also has a higher water content so is less likely to stain, and in general light beers tend to be less acidic so are lower risk for your tooth enamel.
Cava
Cava is the ‘best’ of the wine types when it comes to your teeth, as it is the least acidic. So if wine is your tipple, opt for cava to be kind to your teeth.
G&T
Gin and tonic is light in colour so less likely to stain the teeth. It is also low in acid as well, so your tooth enamel is less likely to suffer from you drinking it.
Let Abbey Road Dental Help You Enhance Your Smile This Party Season!
If you need a little more help to get your smile looking beautiful this party season, why not book a consultation at our local clinic? We offer a wide variety of restorative and cosmetic dentistry which can transform your smile into one any ‘A lister’ would envy. Please call us on 02076241603 and one of our friendly Abbey Road Dental team will be more than happy to book you in at a time most convenient for you.