There is nothing as enjoyable as a glass of wine after a long day of work.
While you may enjoy wine, you probably do not appreciate its effectiveness at staining your teeth, especially when you are supposed to be taking pictures that night.
Wine will stain your teeth because it contains intense pigments called chromogens, which are good at staining almost everything it comes in contact with.
Don’t worry, though. We’ve done the research, and learning how to get rid of wine stains on teeth is easy to do in the comfort of your own home or even on the go at a party or dinner.
All you need are a few essential items to remove the wine stain from your teeth and restore them to their natural white.
What You’ll Need
You’ll need a few essential items to get rid of wine stains on your teeth.
- Sparkling water
- Fibrous food, such as carrots or celery
- Cheese
- Toothbrush
- Toothpaste
- Sugar-free chewing gum
- Wine wipes
Now that you have everything you need, read on to learn how to get rid of wine stains from your teeth.
Below are five excellent and proven methods to show you how to remove red wine stains from your teeth.
1. Drink Plenty Of water
One of the best ways to get rid of wine stains on your teeth, especially if it is still early in the night, is to drink water.
While drinking plenty of water will also help prevent potential hangover headaches, water will also help wash the wine away from your teeth before it can stain them.
We have found that alternating a glass of wine, and a glass of water works well to get rid of wine stains on your teeth throughout the evening.
You can drink either sparkling water or still water; they both work well.
2. Eat something
In addition to drinking water, eating certain foods can also help get rid of wine stains on your teeth.
Choose either a crunchy vegetable—like carrots or celery—or a cheese.
The crunchy vegetable will help keep your teeth cleaner, and the cheese can help form a defensive barrier between your teeth and the staining chromogens in the wine.
Plus, eating will help make sure that you have some healthy food in your system, which will reduce any potential hangover symptoms.
Pro tip: If there is no food on hand, you can chew sugar-free gum. The gum will help to clean your teeth, and it will also encourage saliva production. While that may sound off-putting, your saliva can help prevent and remove wine stains from your teeth naturally.
3. Brush your teeth
If you notice that the wine stains on your teeth are rather noticeable, you might decide to pull out your portable toothbrush.
However, it would help if you were careful with this step.
Wine is acidic, and that can weaken your enamel.
Brushing your teeth immediately after drinking wine will weaken your enamel further.
If you decide you need to brush your teeth, wait at least 30 minutes, although an hour is better after you have drunk the wine to give your enamel time to recover.
4. Have some wine wipes ready
If you often drink wine at parties or other social events, you may also want to invest in some wine wipes.
Wine wipes come in individual packages, so they are great for use on the go.
I recommend using White Wipes – Teeth Whitening Wipes Designed for Coffee and Red Wine Lovers, that I found on Amazon.
They get great reviews and are very economical.
Once you realize that your wine is starting to stain your teeth, wipe one of the wipes across your teeth to remove the staining before it gets too deep.
5. Visit your dentist for professional whitening
Set-in wine stains can be more challenging to remove.
While you can use at-home whitening techniques, we recommend seeing your dentist.
Dentists know how to remove old wine stains without damaging your enamel safely, so when in doubt, talk to a professional.
Below is a video discussing tips and tricks that you can use to get rid of wine stains on your teeth.
0:21—Flossing is a great preventative because it keeps plaque from building up, which the coloring agents in wine like to stick to.
0:53—Don’t mix your white wine and red wine. Pick only one. The white wine makes your teeth more sensitive to staining.
1:40—Don’t brush your teeth immediately after drinking wine. Wait at least an hour to prevent damage to your enamel.
1:57—Drink a glass of sparkling water after every glass of wine to get rid of wine stains on your teeth.
2:11—Eat fibrous food like celery or carrots to get rid of wine stains on your teeth.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can white wine stain your teeth?
Technically, no, white wine will not stain your teeth.
However, the high acidity of white wine means that it is an excellent primer for other staining agents.
White wine can weaken your enamel, so we recommend that you only drink either red wine or white wine when you drink wine, and alternating can increase the severity of the wine stains on your teeth.
How can I prevent wine stains on my teeth in the first place?
The best way to prevent wine stains on your teeth is to keep your teeth healthy.
Brush, floss, and rinse with mouthwash regularly.
If you have weak enamel, we recommend using an enamel strengthening toothpaste.
Keeping your teeth healthy is the best way to prevent stains of any kind from settling on your teeth.
Can I use baking soda to remove wine stains from my teeth?
Although some people recommend using baking soda to remove wine stains from your teeth, we do not recommend removing wine stains.
Wine stains usually occur because of a buildup of plaque or weak enamel.
Baking soda is abrasive.
If you are not careful, the baking soda can further weaken your enamel, making your teeth vulnerable to another staining.
If you still want to use the whitening power of baking soda, try using a toothpaste that has baking soda in it.
The baking soda toothpaste is safer for your teeth and will still help to remove wine stains.
