Drinking Red Wine for Your Dental Health

Nov 5th, 2012
Easton Dentists Mar 1st, 2017

The news keeps getting better!  A few years ago it was discovered that red wine could be beneficial for your heart but now a researcher has concluded that red wine may also be good for your teeth.

Researcher Hyun Koo has found that polyphenols, a compound in red wine, are an effective tool that can be used to fight a molecule created by bacteria that lives in everyone’s mouths.  These bacteria typically break down the sugars that you eat which then cling to your teeth, preventing cavities.  When sugar sticks to your teeth for an extended period of time, it begins to eat away at your enamel and cause permanent damage to your teeth.

The polyphenols in the red wine can also come from the fermented grape stems, skins, and seeds that are remnants of the wine making process.  Getting a hold of this byproduct of wine making would also be good for your teeth but, just maybe, drinking the actual wine would be more enjoyable.

So from our professional standpoint, we’ve concluded that, if you’re of legal drinking age, red wine has three qualities that we think make it the perfect drink.

  1. It’s good for your heart.
  2. It’s good for your teeth.
  3. It’s delicious!

While conducting the research, Koo also discovered that eating cranberries may have the same benefits as red wine.  While cranberries don’t have polyphenols they do have another very scientific-sounding compound called A-type proanthocyanidins.  This compound also helps to keep bacteria from letting sugar stick to teeth.

While these are fascinating advancements in dental research, no one is suggesting you start your red wine and cranberry diet.

The benefits of red wine are clear but you don’t need to drink a gallon of it to see the results.  Also, red wine tends to stain teeth, which is another problem unto itself.

Cranberries also have their drawbacks.  Since getting fresh cranberries is not the easiest thing in the world, most people get their cranberry fix by purchasing them in sauce or juice form.  Typically, cranberry sauce and cranberry juice are loaded with sugar, which, as we all know, is terrible for your teeth.

So while wine and cranberries may be good for your dental health, they are best consumed in moderation.  A glass of wine and a few cranberries a day never hurt anyone and now they may help.  If you’d like a recommendation on which wine is right for you, let us know (but we’d probably be better helping with your other dental needs!).