With New Year’s Eve and its associated celebrations fast approaching, Professor Andrew Eder considers the erosive potential of alcohol, and offers both preventive and treatment solutions.

As we prepare to chink glasses and celebrate the New Year with a kiss from our nearest and dearest, it is important that our patients realise there’s a ‘hidden’ danger from too much imbibing of the merry stuff! I write ‘hidden’ because there appears to be a worrying lack of public awareness when it comes to tooth wear, which we dentists know has the potential to wreak havoc, resulting in pain, sensitivity and, ultimately, expensive and extensive restorative treatment if not prevented as early on as possible.

Alcohol, of course, tends to be high in sugar – an ingredient that many of our patients will associate with causing tooth decay and resulting in fillings. But it’s also acidic (and excessive drinking leading to vomiting contributes additionally, of course) – with long-term consumption contributing to tooth erosion; and that’s what many patients fail to realise.

Read preventive advice and how to remedy the damage in the full article on the erosive potential of alcohol below: