The benefits of wine for dental health

To talk about the history of wine is to talk about the history of civilizations. Its cultivation and consumption are related to activities such as agriculture, cultural celebrations, social relations, gastronomy and, of course, health.

The Egyptians already used wine for medicinal purposes more than 5,000 years ago, and in ancient Greece and Rome it was used, among other things, as a bactericide. We don’t have to go that far to remember the advertisements of our childhood with medicinal wines based on cinchona that served to “whet the appetite” (such as the well-known Quina San Clemente). Although many of these uses have no scientific basis and are no longer recommended today, recent studies have shown certain benefits of regular and moderate consumption of wine, preferably red.

How does wine benefit dental health?

For example, a study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry showed that red wine helps fight bacteria that adhere to teeth and cause the formation of biofilms and dental plaque, which in turn are responsible for dental disease. The polyphenols contained in wine act as natural antioxidants that slow the growth of bacterial flora on teeth and gums.

A study by the University of Pavia (Italy) indicates, along the same lines, that wine improves dental health. Specifically, it acts against the bacteria that cause caries and other dental diseases of bacteriological origin.

In addition, by reducing bacterial infections of the gums, it helps to fight inflammation caused by gingivitis.

But watch out for stains!

Like any food, it also has its contraindications. Red wine contains chromogen, whose pigments adhere to the teeth and cause unpleasant stains.

On the other hand, the acidity of wine wears down tooth enamel and allows other substances to stain it. In this case, a study reveals that white wine is more aggressive than red wine with our enamel, since most white wines have more acidity than red wines.

Professor Walmsley, member of the British Dental Association and responsible for this study, recommends that if we drink a glass of wine we should do so at the same time we eat, and that we should wait thirty minutes before cleaning our teeth. Enamel needs time to recover after contact with wine, and brushing can worsen its effects.

Another recommendation is to accompany wine with cheese. Wine attacks the calcium in the teeth, and since cheese is rich in calcium, it helps to neutralize its effects.

Thus, oral hygiene treatments help us to maintain a healthy mouth and whitening to control and counteract the possible coloring effects of wine.

In short, don’t deprive yourself of a glass of red wine once in a while, and don’t forget to visit your dentist every six months for a check-up and cleaning. Remember that it is easier to keep clean than to clean what has become dirty!