Today I was looking for images of wine stained teeth for this article and stumbled across an article about how to prevent purple teeth that recommended the following pre-tasting regimen:
Yeah. All that immediately before the first glass!
This article also said you shouldn’t drink white wine before red. Um, okay. Because that’s definitely ever going to happen.
If you’ve been drinking wine for a while, you might know this pile of advice is not a recipe for a fun and flavorful day at the winery. All that mint is going to distort your palate pretty extensively, and depending on how strong it is, could ruin your whole day’s worth of tastings. We recommend using really mild, even mint-free toothpaste the morning of a tasting, several hours before you head to the winery.
The first step is understanding why your teeth take on that purple coloration from red wine. As you probably know, the color comes from the skins. Along with compounds like resveratrol and the polyphenols that produce the grape-sourced tannic qualities in your wine, the skins also contain the antioxidant anthocyanin, the natural pigment that starts developing visibly at veraison.
Anthocyanin might sound like a very technical word, but it’s just the scientific name for a natural pigment that plants make. These pigments are why we see red, purple, and black colors in foods like red cabbage, black beans, cherries, raspberries, and, of course, red and black grapes. You can think of anthocyanin as a plant based, temporary dye. It’s not hard to get out, but it will impact different materials in different ways.
One reason the anthocyanin pigment might show up on your teeth can be because there are microscopic particles on the surface of your enamel, such as dental plaque or dietary starches. These are normally pretty transparent and sit on the surface of your teeth until you brush them off, but some of them can absorb the pigment. If you’ve been eating a lot of starchy foods, like crackers, they could be the culprits.
Another reason for purple teeth can be tooth porosity – either the inherent porosity of your teeth, which is different for everyone, or temporarily higher porosity if you’ve been indulging in highly acidic foods. Whether the pigmentation is getting trapped in the pores in your teeth or particles on the surface, don’t worry, the situation is temporary!
So, what to do if you do notice your teeth starting to turn purple? We’ve assembled a few tried and true solutions so you can pick and choose your favorite.
- Brush very gently between tastings with plain water and an extra soft brush, or brush and swish with a white wine – still or sparkling are both good. Look for a style with high acidity and low sugar, like a dry Sauvignon Blanc with a lot of citrus notes, or extra brut sparkling wine. Dry Rosé is also okay, if you prefer it; it doesn’t have enough pigment that it can stain teeth. (Keep in mind that if you take this path routinely, you’ll want to balance it with a little extra enamel care.)
- Snack on the higher fiber foods on your plate. They’ll give your teeth a cleaning boost because they help remove particles from the surface of your teeth, kind of the way a toothbrush does. Crunchy produce like fresh apples, crudites, or salads, and whole grain dishes like tabbouleh or farro dishes are your friends.
- And finally – we really do endorse just leaving your teeth purple for the day! It’s considered a badge of honor in wine country, and it’ll go away on its own. Smile and show wine country you’re a pro (even if you’re not)!
So what do you think? Do you have any tried and true methods of getting the purple out? Or a nightmare story of losing your tasting to a listerine breath strip? Leave us a note about your experience!