Nothing is more refreshing than an icy cold pint of your favorite beer. However, regular or excessive beer intake can damage your teeth and oral hygiene. Enamel erosion and teeth stains are common results of high beer intake. This can be prevented by taking care of your teeth and drinking beer in controlled amounts.
The acids found in beer can break down your tooth enamel over time if you drink a lot of it. This leads to tooth decay and sensitivity. Regular brushing and flossing help, and rinsing your mouth with water frequently helps too. Darker beers are worse for your teeth than lighter ones.
Excessive beer consumption can also lead to gum diseases, inflammation, and other oral health issues. Consuming light beers with fresh ingredients and lowering your overall beer intake are some good ways to start fixing these problems.
Is Beer Bad For Your Teeth?
To get straight to the point, it’s all about moderation. All kinds of beers are crafted by brewing cereal grains which then ferment into alcohol. The alcohol is then carbonated.
All of this means that beer becomes acidic in the brewing process. That acid can then turn into carbonic acid, which will deteriorate your tooth’s enamel.
Over time, it can erode your enamel and even cause yellow stains on your teeth. Therefore, it’s recommended to consume beer in moderation so it doesn’t harm your teeth. Some beers have proven to be good for your health when consumed in moderation.
Craft beers, which go through the lowest amount of processing, have been linked to better digestion, decreased kidney stone production, and even better cholesterol. While these health benefits may not be linked to your oral health, they’re still a benefit of moderate and controlled beer consumption.
How Does Drinking Beer Affect Your Teeth?
When consumed in moderation, beer is harmless to your teeth. However, things start to change when the beer intake increases.
Deteriorates Enamel
Your enamel is the substance that surrounds and protects your teeth from structural damage. It’s also considered to be the hardest substance in the body. Regular and uncontrolled intake of beer can cause serious damage to your enamel.
Over time, the acid in beer can start to deteriorate the enamel, causing severe and permanent damage.
It’s also important to remember that acidic content varies from beer to beer. Darker beers have the most acid and are the most dangerous.
The erosion of your tooth enamel can expose the dark dentin under the tooth, which leads to tooth discoloration. Furthermore, it also contributes to higher tooth sensitivity, causing pain and discomfort every time you eat spicy, tangy, or cold foods.
Tooth Stains
No one wants to walk around with yellow-stained teeth, which is another side effect of regular and increased intake of beer.
Dark-colored beers are the biggest cause of yellow or brown stained teeth. This is because the black patent malt, roasted barley, cherries, blackberries, and other ingredients significantly contribute to unpleasant-looking and discolored teeth.
While light-colored beers are better when it comes to tooth discoloration and stains, they can also start to leave behind yellow stains after an extended period of drinking beer. Therefore, moderation is the way to go.
Gum Disease
Tooth-related issues caused by uncontrolled beer intake stop at discoloration or enamel damage. Gum disease is a serious problem that may also occur due to a high beer intake.
Beer may not be considered a sweet drink, but it shouldn’t be mistaken for a sugar-free drink. When the sugars in beer mix and react with the bacteria in your mouth, it forms an unpleasant mixture that can start to stick to your teeth.
This leads to the formation of bacteria, which can end up damaging the gums. The bacteria can also cause gum infections and inflammation.
Luckily, there are a few simple ways of preventing the problems mentioned above. Drinking beer in moderate amounts will not cause these side effects to occur in the first place. What’s more, healthy oral hygiene goes a long way in keeping your teeth healthy.
Brushing your teeth more frequently is one of the main ways to keep your teeth healthy. Dentists recommend brushing at least twice a day.
However, brushing 30 minutes after a heavy meal or every meal can help even more. Flossing every day helps prevent tartar buildup and tooth decay, so it’s just as important as brushing.
Do Certain Types Of Beer Stain Teeth Worse Than Others?
Not all beers are created equal. Different kinds of beers can have worse discoloring effects on your teeth than others.
This might be bad news if you’re a fan of darker beers like Guinness. Many dark beers are crafted with ingredients and substances like black patent malt or roasted barley. Furthermore, some dark beers also tend to have dark fruits and berries such as cherries and blackberries in them.
If you drink them regularly, these ingredients come together to cause yellow or even brown stains on your teeth.
Lighter beers don’t cause as much discoloration or staining as dark ones, but if you drink a lot of them, they can lead to yellow teeth too. Therefore, no matter which kind of beer you prefer, it’s essential to drink in moderation and practice oral hygiene.
Can Beer Be Good For Your Teeth?
While a high beer intake can lead to considerable damage to your teeth, some beers can actually be good for your teeth when consumed in controlled and moderate amounts.
This may be even better news for those who like to consume light beers. This is because many light beers tend to contain healthy amounts of calcium and silicone, especially when they’re recently brewed and made with fresh ingredients.
The high amounts of calcium found in these beers help strengthen the enamel, which is basically your mouths’ defense against all bacteria, cavities, and erosion. Furthermore, calcium also helps strengthen bones, nails, and even hair.
The positive effects of beer don’t end there. Controlled consumption of beer has also been shown to combat numerous oral infections.
This is because of the many bacteria produced during the fermentation process. Some of these bacteria can help fight the bad bacteria in your mouth, which helps stop oral infections such as cavities, gum disease, and other conditions.
Can Beer Help Fight Cavities?
While this topic is still largely debated, there have been studies that tend to put beers in a more positive light when it comes to fighting cavities.
A recent study found that some ingredients can help prevent cavities and other gum-related diseases, of course, when consumed in controlled amounts. The hops in beer have been found to prevent tooth decay because they contain antioxidants. These antioxidants help to fight cavities.
Furthermore, beer also helps remove biofilm, which is a somewhat slimy coating that forms between your teeth. Over time, biofilm can form harmful bacteria that collect on your teeth’ surface, creating an unpleasant and slimy environment.
It can go on to develop diseases such as gingivitis, periodontal disease, or yellow stains. Drinking beer has been shown to help wipe out biofilm.
While such positive effects are coming to light, it’s crucial to understand that they don’t mean you should overindulge. Studies are still not concrete on these positive effects, and they only work when consumed in moderation.