We’ve reached peak prosecco. In 2016 us Brits drank 40 million litres of the stuff – and just last week fans queued outside Lidl from 7am to bag themselves some super cheap bottles.
We’ve got prosecco advent calendars, prosecco doughnuts – and now even, apparently, prosecco pasta.
BUT some very sad news has surfaced, suggesting that prosecco might actually be destroying our teeth.
Dr Mervyn Druian, of the London Centre for Cosmetic Dentistry, has warned that the combination of alcohol, sugar and carbonation could be stripping the enamel, pulling them out of our gums and making holes in them.
This means us prosecco lovers could be at risk of developing ‘prosecco smile’ - and, worryingly, it’s women who are the most at risk, as we tend to drink more of it than men.
Dr Druian told the Daily Mail: "Women especially enjoy prosecco but unlike wine, which you often have with a meal, it is very easy to just keep sipping prosecco and have a few glasses without noticing.
“It is acidic and it has sugar in it so, while a few glasses are fine, if you drink too much of it you are going to have a problem.
“The signs of prosecco smile are where the teeth come out of the gum. It starts with a white line just below the gum, which if you probe it is a little bit soft, and that is the beginning of tooth decay which can lead to fillings and dental work.”
So, is there anything we can do to save our pearly whites from prosecco smile? Apart from cutting down on it, obvs…
According to Dr Richard Coates, of Riveredge Cosmetic Dentistry in Sunderland and Newcastle, we should avoid brushing our teeth for a few hours after drinking it to protect the enamel. He also suggests drinking it through a straw, which we could get on board with.
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