Category: Advice

With the holiday season rolling in, we will start getting more invites to celebrations and trips to the pub. While a nice glass of wine or pint of beer might be a great way to quench your thirst, is it the best thing for your teeth?

Dr Joe Oliver is one of London’s leading dentists, renowned for his unparalleled multi-disciplinary service that ensures high-quality, end-to-end patient care. Today, he’s sharing (some of) the worst alcoholic drinks for your teeth teeth.

Prosecco

Coming in at number one is everybody’s favourite! However, with the acidic carbonated bubbles, alcohol and sugar, prosecco is a triple whammy of badness for your teeth. There’s one heaped teaspoon of sugar present in every flute, causing major drama for your tooth enamel – avoid the bubbles and you won’t suffer from the ‘prosecco smile’! 

Is Cider bad for your teeth?

If you want perfect teeth then avoid drinking cider: this favourite beverage also has a very high acidity which is not very good for your oral health.

Try as you might with a thorough oral hygiene routine, sometimes stains just won’t shift. Once embedded, they are hard to get rid of (often requiring professional whitening services), which is why preventing them is so important.

Avoiding bad habits and implementing small, effective changes can make a big difference! 

Here, Dr Joe Oliver, who has treated a wide range of high-end clientele, shares 5 ways to prevent teeth staining which actually work.

1: Use a straw – where possible, use a straw with any staining beverages, such as red wine. This allows the liquid to bypass the teeth and therefore prevent staining.

2: Rinse out with water – after drinking coffee, try rinsing your mouth out with water. This will prevent the build up of liquid on your teeth and therefore limit the chances of staining.

3: Limit anything which stains – it might sound really obvious, but a beneficial decision for your teeth can be to limit your intake of staining drinks and food in the first place, and be more aware of what you need to avoid in order to limit staining. Some of your favourite foods can be the worst for the teeth!

4: Chew celery – this will stimulate more saliva, which will fight the bacteria build up in your mouth. Chewing celery and crunchy vegetables will help to clean teeth and rub your gums.

5: Visit your hygienist – regular visits to your dentist and hygienist should be a given anyway, but the more you keep on top of it, the more your professional will be able to monitor staining and offer preventative methods.

Sticking to these simple yet effective techniques will minimise the amount of deep stains – meaning your teeth should stay whiter for longer. If you’re interested in how to whiten your smile, check out some of our other tips.

Learn more about Dr Joe Oliver. If you’re ready to book an appointment, check out our fees page and get in contact here.

The latest fads hitting social media come and go, but your teeth will be around for a lifetime. At least, that’s the goal!

Be cautious as the next big fad you see online may be causing more harm than good for your teeth. After all – many of these fads come from non-scientifically proven methods, not from trained dentists.

Here, Dr Joe Oliver, who has treated a wide range of high-end clientele, shares 5 dental fads that could ruin your teeth!

1: Gems – sticking gems, stickers or even LED lights to the front of your teeth might seem like an ingenious way to bedazzle your mouth for that upcoming festival, but it’s a nightmare for your enamel. Once enamel goes, it cannot be brought back because it’s not a living tissue.

2: Lemon juice – some sources advocate using lemon juice to whiten your teeth… which is a terrible idea! Lemon juice is incredibly acidic leading to tooth erosion. Tooth erosion happens when acids wear away the enamel on teeth. Enamel erosion can be caused by the following: Excessive soft drink consumption (high levels of phosphoric and citric acids) and excessive fruit drinks consumption (some acids in fruit drinks are more erosive than battery acid!.

3: Tongue and lip piercings – mouth piercings cause regular knocks to your mouth that damage your teeth. They’re also the perfect breeding place for germs and bacteria if not cleaned properly.