The spit bucket protects your judgement, not your enamel. By the time a wine is spat out, its acid has already spent several seconds washed across the teeth, and professional tasting technique (holding, chewing and drawing air through the wine) is designed to keep it there. Repeat that across a flight, a show or a vintage, and the acid exposure adds up to far more than drinking a couple of glasses with a meal.
This article is written for people who taste as part of their work: sommeliers, winemakers, cellar hands, cellar door staff, judges, buyers, writers and bar staff.
The acid in wine does the damage
Erosion is a chemical process. Acids soften and dissolve the mineral surface of enamel without any bacteria involved, which is what separates it from decay. Wine is acidic, with tartaric and malic acid among the main contributors, and alcohol content has little to do with it.
Laboratory work bears this out. A study in the European Journal of Prosthodontics and Restorative Dentistry (Rees and colleagues, 2002) found that most of the white wines tested were at least as erosive to enamel as orange juice, and a sparkling cava was more erosive. Researchers at the University of Adelaide, writing in the Australian Dental Journal (Kwek and colleagues, 2015), simulated professional tasting on enamel samples and found that softening began at an early stage of a tasting session.
What studies of wine tasters have found
Clinical studies of wine professionals are small, but they point the same way. A Norwegian study of 18 wine tasters in Acta Odontologica Scandinavica (Mulic and colleagues, 2011) found clinical signs of erosion in 50 per cent of the tasters compared with 20 per cent of a comparison group, and wear into the dentine in 39 per cent of tasters compared with 7 per cent. The lesions were mostly on the chewing surfaces of the lower first molars.
The same study found that half the tasters had no erosive wear at all, and among those who did, years in the job did not predict how much. That points to real differences between people, likely involving saliva flow and buffering, tasting habits, reflux and diet.
An Australian study of tasters in the Granite Belt and Scenic Rim regions of Queensland (George and colleagues, 2014, The Scientific World Journal) did find that erosion scores rose with age and years of tasting. It also found that sensitivity did not track the amount of erosion, so the absence of sensitive teeth is not a reliable sign that enamel is intact.
Taken together, professional tasting appears to raise the risk across the group without making erosion certain for any one person. An examination is a better guide than assuming the best or the worst.
Signs of erosion to look for
Erosion usually progresses quietly. Things worth noticing, or asking your dentist to check, include:
- shallow cupped dips on the chewing surfaces of the back teeth, sometimes with a filling standing slightly higher than the tooth around it
- front teeth that look glassy or see-through along their edges
- teeth that seem shorter, often first noticed in photos
- a smooth, polished look where enamel used to have a fine surface texture
- edges that chip more easily
- sensitivity to cold air or drinks, although, as the Queensland study showed, many people with erosion feel nothing
Other acid sources can add to occupational exposure. Stomach acid reaching the mouth is a common one, and late finishes, late meals and alcohol can all make reflux more likely; our article on acid reflux and your teeth explains the link. Swimmers in poorly balanced pool water face a similar chemical process, described in saltwater and chlorine tooth erosion.
Protecting enamel on a tasting day
Nobody can assess a wine without letting it touch the teeth, so most of the protection comes from what happens around the tasting.
| When | What helps | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Every day | Brush twice with fluoride toothpaste, and use a higher-fluoride paste if your dentist has recommended one | Fluoride makes the enamel surface more resistant to acid |
| Between flights | Rinse with plain still water | Clears and dilutes acid; sparkling water is mildly acidic itself |
| Between flights, if it does not affect your palate | Chew sugar-free gum | Stimulates saliva, the mouth's natural buffer |
| After the session | Rinse with water, and brush with fluoride toothpaste when it suits you | A 2024 scoping review found brushing with fluoride toothpaste soon after acid exposure does not add measurable wear |
| Ongoing | Tell your dentist or OHT what you do for work and keep regular checks | Early erosion is easier to monitor and slow than advanced wear is to restore |
Advice to wait a fixed time before brushing has been common for years, but the evidence has shifted. A scoping review in Caries Research (Fernández and colleagues, 2024) concluded that brushing with fluoridated toothpaste immediately after an erosive challenge does not increase erosive wear. Use a soft brush and avoid scrubbing hard. Some people find alcohol-based mouthwashes leave the mouth feeling dry, so an alcohol-free rinse is a reasonable choice if you use one.
Staining and erosion make each other look worse
Red wine leaves pigment on the teeth, and enamel that has just been softened by acid may take up that pigment more readily. At the same time, as enamel thins, the yellower dentine beneath shows through. Some of the colour change is surface stain that can be cleaned or whitened, and some is thinning that whitening cannot reverse. Telling the two apart is worth doing before spending money on cosmetic treatment.
Whitening when you taste for a living
Whitening can lighten natural tooth colour, but for wine professionals there are three things to weigh up.
Stain will come back while wine is part of your daily work, so whitening here is ongoing maintenance rather than a single treatment. At Lumi, results usually last about two to three years before a top-up is needed, and regular red wine exposure may mean top-ups are wanted sooner. Lumi's options, Lumi Home, Lumi Refresh and Lumi Radiance, all include take-home whitening with custom trays, which suits people who need to top up at home. We do not promise a particular shade.
Thinned enamel is more likely to become sensitive during whitening. Peroxide gels commonly cause temporary sensitivity even on healthy teeth, and exposed dentine can make this more noticeable. Lumi Home is available as an overnight gel for sensitive teeth or a daytime gel for teeth that are not sensitive.
Whitening does not repair wear. If teeth look darker because dentine is showing through, protecting the remaining enamel and, where needed, restoring worn surfaces are the more useful conversations.
A sensible order is to have erosion assessed and stabilised, deal with any reflux or dry mouth, and then consider cosmetic options. Our article on whitening for coffee and wine stains covers surface and deeper staining in more detail. As a typical Australian market range, dentist-supplied take-home whitening costs about $300 to $700; this is a general range, not a Lumi fee.
Questions wine professionals ask
Does spitting protect my teeth?
No. It limits how much alcohol you absorb, but the acid has already been in contact with the enamel while you assessed the wine.
Are white wines easier on teeth than reds?
For staining, yes; red wine is the bigger problem. For erosion, white and sparkling wines can be at least as erosive, so tasting only whites does not mean less wear.
Should I wait before brushing after a tasting?
There is no need for a fixed wait. Rinse with water, then brush with fluoride toothpaste and a soft brush when it suits you.
Should I tell my dentist what I do for work?
Yes. Erosion can be mistaken for grinding or general wear, and knowing that you taste professionally changes what your dentist looks for and the preventive advice they give.
Where to start
Professional tasting is a real acid exposure, but erosion is not inevitable, and the protective steps are modest: water between wines, fluoride every day and regular checks. If you have noticed sensitivity, front teeth that look shorter or stain that no longer polishes off, have the teeth assessed before deciding on anything cosmetic. You can book a free cosmetic consult at Lumi Dental in Melrose Park, read about teeth whitening at Lumi Dental, or see our current offers.
This article is general information only and is not a substitute for individual dental or medical advice. Please speak with a qualified health practitioner about your own circumstances.
