Dental Tips: Refined Palate and Healthy Teeth With Wine & Cheese
Posted on: 19 August 2015
Eating a piece of cheese after sipping a little wine may seem unorthodox or simply a custom that wine experts like to do. But this is a custom that any person that cares for his or her teeth should consider adopting, as it aids oral health. The following guide will show you how these foods may help fight oral bacteria.
Mouth-sense: Wine and Cheese
Pairing wine and cheese is more than just a silly custom. Wine is astringent due to the tannins it contains and other acidic ingredients that make your mouth feel a little dry after consuming it. Cheese, on the other hand, is a fatty food that should make your mouth feel a bit slimy. This combination makes cheese and wine work well together.
Wine: A Bacteria Attacker
Research has found that wine can help slow the growth of the oral pathogens that are responsible for dental ailments, like dental erosion, plaque, or cavities. The reason is that wine contains several grape extracts, like polyphenols, that attack and distort the reproductive system in bacteria. This should give you, your dentist, and your other dental hygiene practices time to get rid of the bacteria before they cause real damage.
You should know that wine is acidic and should not be consumed in large amounts. A small glass should be fine, and be sure not to brush or otherwise scratch your teeth after consuming wine. The acidic nature of wine does tend to make enamel slightly weaker and susceptible to damage. Let your mouth and saliva rebalance itself for at least an hour after drinking wine before brushing your teeth.
Cheese: Tasty and Dental-Friendly
Cheese has a few tricks up its sleeve to help rid you of those oral pathogens trying to wreck havoc in your mouth. The first thing that you should know is that cheese--especially naturally cultured and aged cheese--helps rebalance the pH value in your mouth. The pH balance will be slightly acidic after drinking wine, but cheese helps it get back on track. That is good news since bacteria cannot survive higher pH values.
The next thing you should know about cheese is that it contains a whole lot of calcium that adheres to your teeth after drinking a little wine. This should help remineralize your teeth, which helps fortify the bacteria-repelling enamel coating on your teeth.
That is how simple it is to upgrade your dental hygiene in a classy way, which should also help you explore different types of wines and aged cheeses. Talk with a dentist, such as Dr. Sudharani V Chary, for more dental tips and information.
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