Prosecco - a danger to teeth?
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- Published: Wednesday, 30 August 2017 07:34
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Earlier this summer disgruntled Tories were accused of plotting to topple Mrs May at ‘Prosecco’ parties. Now it appears that the drink could also be rotting their teeth, owing to its acidity and high sugar content, according to dentists. How seriously should be take this?
Professor Damien Walmsley, scientific adviser for the British Dental Association, said: ‘Prosecco offers a triple whammy of carbonation, sweetness and alcohol, which can put your teeth at risk, leading to sensitivity and enamel erosion. Carbonated beverages get their fizz from the release of carbon dioxide, which dissolves into carbonic acid. This provides a refreshing taste but also makes these drinks more acidic. Added to that, prosecco comes with about one teaspoon of sugar per flute.’
Dr Mervyn Druian, of the London Centre for Cosmetic Dentistry, said: ‘People enjoy prosecco but unlike wine, which you often have with a meal, it is very easy to just keep sipping prosecco and have a few glasses without noticing. It is acidic and it has sugar in it so, while a few glasses are fine, if you drink too much of it you are going to have a problem. The signs of prosecco smile are where the teeth come out of the gum. It starts with a white line just below the gum, which if you probe it is a little bit soft, and that is the beginning of tooth decay which can lead to fillings and dental work.’
Britons drank more than 40million litres of prosecco last year and it is regularly on special offer at supermarkets. The market grew by 34 per cent last year. Dr Richard Coates, of Riveredge Cosmetic Dentistry in Sunderland and Newcastle, had some health advice for fans.
‘It is much worse than champagne because that isn’t so sweet,’ he said. ‘Prosecco has a PH of just 3.25, making it similarly acidic to fizzy drinks, and weakens tooth enamel, which can then be damaged further if people brush their teeth too soon after drinking it. It may not look very cool but drinking it through a straw rather than a glass can protect teeth. But the main solution is to make sure that you don’t over indulge by drinking more than a couple of glasses at any one time. People should wait a few hours before brushing their teeth if they’ve been drinking prosecco to give the enamel time to harden.’
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