How Alcohol Can Effect Your Teeth

How Alcohol Can Effect Your Teeth

Alcohol is known to have negative health impacts usually on internal body organs. However, alcohol has detrimental effects on the teeth as well. The sugars contained in alcohol offer a good environment for metabolism by the bacteria in the mouth resulting in plaque formation. More often than not drunkards forget to clean their teeth after taking alcohol hence compounding the situation.
Research shows that pure alcohol has no effect on one’s teeth. Mixing alcohol with other liquors is what causes problems and most people rarely consume pure alcohol.  Mixing drinks results in consumption of high amounts of sugar resulting in high acidity in the mouth. The condition created makes it easy for bacteria to thrive on the enamel thereby leading to dental caries and cavities besides increasing the chances of getting periodontal disease.
Alcoholic drinks such as whiskey, brandy, rum, vodka, gin or beer have high concentration of sugar thus leading to dental caries formation over time of abuse. Moreover, sweet wines with high amounts of sugar have become a choice of wine takers hence contributing to tooth decay in majority of adolescents and adults.
The main ingredients in preparation of wine are grapes and apples. When allowed to ferment, grapes and wines have been shown to produce some alcohol and the unfermented fruit results in residual sugar which has detrimental effects on the teeth. Moreover, dry wines are not entirely sugar free as they are reported to have sugar content in the range of between 1-3%. It is also reported that wine manufacturers add sucrose during the production so as to increase the alcoholic content.

Natural saliva in the mouth is reduced with prolonged alcohol abuse. The saliva is a natural antibacterial cleanser that clears plaque and sugars hence keeping the gums less prone to colonization by bacteria. Inadequate natural saliva leads to dry mouth hence providing an environment for bacteria to thrive resulting in foul smell. It is also documented that alcoholics have a higher chance of contracting cancer of the mouth or throat due to damage of mouth tissues and subsequent colonization by harmful bacteria.
The conditions in the mouth are necessary for the conversion of sugar into plaque faster before one recovers from a hangover. Sounds funny but that is the truth. Basic knowledge dictates that during daytime we salivate more than during the night. Most people therefore tend to think that teeth deterioration is faster when one drinks at night compared to during the day. Contrary to this belief, one is more likely to contract cancer if they are day drinkers since the body tends to metabolise faster during the day.
Middle age drinking men are susceptible to teeth complications such as periodontal diseases, gingivitis and foul breath. Since liquor stains that are on the teeth cannot be removed by gentle brushing, it is advisable to brush your teeth and gargle thoroughly so as to get rid of all bacteria from the mouth. For the chronic party goers and drinkers, it is recommended that you carry some alcohol-free mouth wash, a toothbrush and toothpaste. This is a precautionary measure that costs nothing.