Porcelain Dental Veneers Let You Keep Enjoying a Glass of Sauvignon

Porcelain Dental Veneers Let You Keep Enjoying a Glass of Sauvignon

09 / 04 / 2015

Researchers at the University of Adelaide reported that the teeth of professional wine tasters are at risk of eroding enamel.

The study, published in the Australian Dental Journal, found out that ten one-minute tasting sessions are enough to induce a scratch 1.00 µm deep and reduce roughness by 0.032 µm. Although the enamel can be as thick as 2.58 mm (2,580 µm), much of its thickness lies at the cusp. The enamel near the cementum on the side is between 1 and 15 µm thick.

Combine that finding with the fact that a professional wine taster in the U.K. tastes up to 200 wines a day and you have a cause for concern. In addition, you’re in a country that’s the sixth biggest wine consumer in the world despite falling sales, as per a Harpers report. Dentists, among others, have every right to be worried.

More Acidic Than Acid Rain

Acidity gives wines their distinct taste, which helps determine the ideal food to be paired with. With a pH level between 3.0 and 4.0, wines are generally more acidic than acid rain, which has a pH level of 4.0 and above. White wines ideally carry a pH level between 3.0 and 3.4 while red wines are desirable at 3.3 to 3.6.

Dental erosion can start at around pH 5.5, the baseline level for Roquefort cheese and whitefish. Any solution lower than what the enamel can resist is known as the critical pH of enamel.

Treat Your Teeth Right

Thinning enamel triggers hypersensitivity, among others. Since tooth damage “comes with the trade,” however, anyone fancying a glass or two should be aware of the proper dental treatment. Experts suggest remineralising teeth with calcium and fluoride the night before a wine-tasting event or limit their intake to mitigate damage.

Dentists like those from London Bridge Dental Practice can also recommend porcelain veneers for teeth. As they’re used to protect teeth from gastric acids that back up, which are more acidic than wine, porcelain veneers are more than enough to keep your natural teeth safe without cutting back on your wine enjoyment.

On top of that, it was also noted that plaque can’t survive in a highly-acidic environment; a silver lining for wine tasters. In a way, porcelain dental veneers steer the acidity of wine toward an even bigger threat.

(Source: “Professional wine tasters putting teeth at risk, study finds,” The Independent, March 29, 2015)