Mouth Health and Wine Tasting

Apologies in advance. If you are not in the business or habit of tasting wines regularly, I strongly suggest that you ignore this post.

Big Smile

I need advice from my peers who taste wines regularly, not just for pleasure but also for business.

How do you deal with keeping a healthy mouth?

It may seem like an odd, and possibly rather off-putting, question to raise here, but where else to do this? (I think I might have to post the conclusions to Quora – finally found a use for it!)

I ask as I want to treat some possible gum disease, but I find I can’t use any mouthwash. Have you ever noticed that mouthwash kills your ability to taste? I’m not sure if it is the alcohol ingredient or something else, but I had some surgery once and was forced to use Corsodyl for a while. After a week or so I found I could hardly taste anything and my tongue was numbed. It wore off after I stopped using it, but it worried me.

Recently I tried some of the more “delicate” styles such as Listerine Zero, and although I had no numbness I did find it was affecting my tongue and I did not want to continue.

Is there a wine-trade friendly solution to protecting your mouth and gums?

I have come across enough of my peers who seem to have suffered from the apparent lack of a solution to think this also deserves a public airing.

I would really welcome your hints and tips such as these by Simon Woods – Smile while you still have your teeth

For example, avoiding brushing too soon after wine-tasting as it strips the enamel from your teeth (did you know that?)

Thank you in advance, please resume your normal wine appreciation activities

11 Comments
  • Aleksi Mehtonen
    February 10, 2012

    I have not tested this myself, but I have ‘heard’ that brushing your teeth with olive oil or similar oil will help to keep the enemel on your teeth.

  • Robert McIntosh
    February 10, 2012

    That sounds truly awful @aleksimehtonen ! Would you actually consider trying it?

  • Ryan Opaz
    February 10, 2012

    I have heard of many “pro” tasters using sensodyne to protect their teeth. Personally I have to use listerine, it doesn’t affect my tongue but is much more gentle than brushing. Lot’s of people have various rinses for post wine tasting recovery!

  • luckywineguy
    February 10, 2012

    One great and very soft alternative is Elmex, their toothpaste and mouthwash contain Amine Fluoride which is absorbed by the tooth enamel making them very resistant.Eating an apple after a tasting is also a good tip to avoid brushing your teeth.

  • Robert McIntosh
    February 10, 2012

    Hey @luckywineguy – that sounds very interesting (the Elmex, not the apple). Will check it out

  • wildaboutwine
    February 14, 2012

    My wife is a dentist! On the whole mouth wash doesn’t cut it, Corsodyl however does shift mouth ulcers but boy it wrecks your palate. The only way with gum disease is prevention which unfortunately means reugular flossing and trips to hygienist. Good luck.

  • wildaboutwine
    February 14, 2012

    Oh forgot to say yes DONT brush teeth straight after having wine. My wife often skips brushing her teeth after an evening enjoying wine. The best thing to do is to just rub some toothpaste around your mouth with your finger.

  • Wine Dine
    February 15, 2012

    Great info!! The apple really works on both sides of the Atlantic, but mostly Judit use Elmex and Corina Sensodyne. Cheers 🙂

  • Erica
    February 18, 2012

    I’ve been thinking about this too. After a full day tasting I don’t brush, just rinse with .2% flouride wash (FLUX, a Swedish product, is excellent and does not affect tasting capabilities) since my dentist has told me anything else will kill the enamel.I know several pros here in Sweden (a country known for good dental health, by the way) who will use a brace with flouride gel for half an hour the morning before tastings. I just use the high flouride wash twice a day as of now in addition to brushing but need to look in to the brace too. Think Sensodyne should be appropriate as a toothpaste, or Clinomyn for staining. Fingers crossed for more good tips! Cheers! @ericawinetrips

  • Robert McIntosh
    February 18, 2012

    So many great tips! Thanks!!!!! Must investigate which (if any) of these are available in the UK and give them a go. Not sure if my NHS dentist will be greatly willing to go the extra mile for me just because of my job/hobby/lifestyle, so will require some internet detective work

  • Erica
    February 18, 2012

    Make it into a challenge for your dentist! 🙂 I’m getting mine to read up for fun… Actually I know several importers over here (and our state monopoly on sales, if I’m not mistaken) who give employees a few 100 € extra per year for dental expenditures since they are supposed to go at least twice a year instead of the regular rec of every other year!