Why some of what's being written in the press is misleading

The nation’s beloved Prosecco has been getting a bit of a bashing in the press over the last few weeks with regard to the dental health of Prosecco drinkers. Many of the large newspapers have been publishing articles claiming that dentists are seeing increasing numbers of patients with tooth decay which might possibly be due to their drinking Prosecco.

The current popularity of Prosecco in the UK has meant that many publications have jumped on this band wagon and are publishing similar stories about the increasingly infamous “Prosecco Smile”. We thought it might be helpful to shed a little light on the situation and clarify a few things in relation to Prosecco and how it may affect your teeth.

Sparkling Beverages and Your Teeth – The Facts

Obviously, Prosecco is not the only sweet, sparkling beverage consumed in great quantities by people all over the world. Cola drinks, Lemonade and Orangeade are all also bought and consumed in huge quantities. There are also a huge number of other drinks containing sugar, sparkling or not, that can be added to this list, certainly far too many to be listed here.

If you look after your teeth properly, and the vast majority of us do so, then you have absolutely nothing to worry about when drinking Prosecco. The concern, apparently expressed by dentists, is that a glass of Prosecco contains as much as 1 teaspoon of sugar and that the effervescence of our favourite sparkler in combination with this sugar can cause damage to teeth if you drink a lot of Prosecco regularly. We think it’s terribly unfair to focus on Prosecco as a risk to dental health; for instance a can of the most popular cola drinks can contain as much as 8 teaspoons of sugar and is also a fizzy beverage.

Captain Obvious explains how to minimise dental health risks of drinking sparkling beverages

We realise that this is profound knowledge that we are imparting here and we certainly don’t want to condescend to our customers. If you should be at all concerned about your teeth and want to enjoy a glass of Prosecco, as long as you are observing the following dental health guidelines a “Prosecco Smile” should not be something you have to worry about:

1) You shouldn’t drink acidic, sparkling or still beverages that contain sugar shortly before cleaning your teeth. The acid can soften the enamel on your teeth and brushing them just after consuming your drink may possibly damage it. Leave a few hours after your drink before brushing your teeth to allow the enamel to harden again.

2) Don’t drink excessive quantities of such drinks. We have always promoted a healthy attitude towards drinking any of our wines as a general rule.

3) Drink your Prosecco with a straw, rather than sipping it. This minimises the amount of contact time that the Prosecco has with your teeth and can reduce the potential softening of enamel on your teeth.

It’s a shame that the press seem to be focusing on Prosecco as a risk to dental health, when in reality there are far worse, extremely popular beverages out there, but we know that our customers are a savvy lot and will take all the bad press with a big pinch of salt.

Enjoy your Prosecco!