Don’t Drink to Your Health | Why Alcohol Harms Your Smile

If somebody is raising a toast to your good health, appreciate the thought, but drink sparingly. Alcohol and ice is anything but nice to your teeth and gums.


How Alcohol Harms Your Oral Health

An occasional beer or glass of wine or champagne is most likely not going to hurt your smile, assuming you are of legal age and don’t have any health issues.

Moderate alcohol consumption is considered one drink per day for adult women and two drinks for adult men.

If you regularly drink more, your smile might turn into a painful grimace.

How Alcohol Consumption Stresses Your Teeth and Gums:

1. Alcohol dries your mouth, meaning there is less saliva to wash away plaque and food particles. A dry mouth leads to bad breath, but more alarmingly, to gum disease and bone and tooth loss. 
2. The acids in alcohol can wear down the enamel of your teeth. Weakened enamel increases your risk of tooth decay and makes your teeth susceptible to stains from ingredients like barley and malt or tannins and dye found in red wines and sangria. These stains can become permanent with time. 
3. If the acids in alcohol are not enough, acid reflux may also result from regular alcohol consumption. The combination of sugar and gastric acids wears away at the enamel.
4. Cocktails typically contain sugar, one of the leading causes of cavities.
5. Consuming alcoholic beverages often creates a craving for starchy or sugary snacks, which are the main culprits of tooth decay. 
6. You may start neglecting your oral hygiene, accelerating gum disease and cavities if you’re a heavy drinker.
7. Chronic alcohol consumption has a strong association with cancer occurrence.  Oral cancers are about six times more common in drinkers than non-drinkers, , and drinking in conjunction with smoking increases the risk even more.

5 Steps to Protect Your Smile from the Dangers of Alcohol

You can reduce the impact of light to moderate alcohol consumption on your smile by following these steps:

1. Drink sparingly, no more than two drinks per day for an adult male and no more than one drink per day for an adult woman. Less is even better.
2. Rinse your mouth after you’ve finished your drink.
3. Wait one hour after finishing your drink before your brush your teeth. The alcohol’s acids have weakened your tooth enamel, and abrasive brushing could damage your teeth. 
4. Drink lots of water to keep your mouth moist.
5. Maintain meticulous oral hygiene: Brush twice a day for two minutes each, floss at least once a day and rinse with non-alcoholic mouthwash.

Can Your Dentist Tell You’re Consuming Alcohol?

If you frequently have one drink after another, your dentist will know. They’ll notice the distinct alcohol smell on you, observe the stained teeth, spot the dry mouth and diagnose the early (or advanced, depending on your last visit) stages of tooth decay and gum disease. They will also be able to detect sores, unusual white or red blotches and lumps and swellings. 

When asked about your alcohol consumption, you’ll want to come clean.

2 reasons:

1. Should you require sedation for any dental treatment, serious health complications could ensue if you’re anesthetized while intoxicated. Some drugs your dentist may prescribe for pain may also prompt adverse reactions if taken with alcohol.
2. Your dentist can be among your strongest allies if you want to discuss the harmful effect of your drinking habits. They can advise you on the changes you can make to maintain or improve your oral health and recommend resources to help you reduce your alcohol intake.

Cheers to Dental Insurance

At Delta Dental, we’re all about healthy smiles. Our various insurance options for dental and vision for individuals, families and groups offer competitive rates, different levels of benefits and access to one of Arkansas’s largest networks of providers. Check us out.