Our dental clinic is open and you can read our COVID-safe procedures here.
We have unfortunately had to temporarily stop our beauty treatments in line with Government regulations. All existing appointments will be rescheduled.
Our dental clinic is open and you can read our COVID-safe procedures here.
We have unfortunately had to temporarily stop our beauty treatments in line with Government regulations. All existing appointments will be rescheduled.
For most people, the easing of restrictions and the reopening of pubs gives us a chance to spend more time with our loved ones and celebrate our newfound freedom by saying cheers with an alcoholic drink. While we are not encouraging consuming alcohol and recommend you drink in moderation it’s important to know the facts on how drinking alcohol can affect your teeth and oral health.
What are the safe levels of alcohol consumption?
Drinking high levels of alcohol can increase your risk of oral cancer, tooth decay and tooth erosion. In fact, it has been estimated that those who regularly drink and smoke heavily are 38 times more at risk of developing oral cancer.
So what are the safe levels of alcohol consumption? Official advice in the UK is that nobody should consume more than 14 units of alcohol in a week. One unit equals 10ml or 8g of pure alcohol, which is around the amount of alcohol the average adult can process in an hour.
To put that into perspective, a 137ml glass of wine is around 2.3 units and a bottle of wine is approximately 13 units. A pint of strong lager is roughly 3 units and a double measure of gin is 1.8 units.
Erosion
Consuming high levels of alcohol can dramatically increase your risk of erosion. Especially if you are regularly drinking acidic beverages such as champagne, wine, alcopops and cider.
Wine contains a combination of tartaric, lactic, citric, malic, acetic and succinic acids. This is in fact how it gets a large proportion of the body. However, unfortunately for us, that combination loves to eat away at our teeth’s enamel. Although our teeth are made up from the hardest tissue found in the human body, they are still prone to damage from acid erosion. Sadly, once the enamel on our teeth has gone, you can’t bring it back.
The pH in your mouth is around 6.2 to 7 and erosion tends to occur when your pH falls to 5.7 or lower. Most wines on average have a pH of 2.9 to 3.5, which creates the right conditions for the erosive process to begin.
Champagne may taste great, however it actually contains much more sugar and a higher level of acidity compared to wine and for those reasons is definitely best kept for celebrations. However, some of the champagne houses are producing a Brut Nature or Extra Brut champagne which has no or very little sugar. While it’s still acidic in nature at least the lowered sugar content is a step in the right direction if this is your drink of choice.
So what can you drink then?
A less acidic option is gin which is one of the least acidic alcoholic drinks and contains no added sugars and also has less alcoholic units than a glass of wine. You do need to be mindful of what you mix your gin with though. Tonic water has a pH of 3 which is in the danger zone for teeth…
Another option is to enjoy your wine with other food which helps to buffer the effect of acid. Acidic drinks consumed with meals are less damaging to your teeth compared to being drunk on their own.
Lastly, if you are going to drink an acidic drink by itself, avoid brushing your teeth for an hour afterwards. This way you reduce the risk of damaging/abrading the enamel that has been softened by the acid.
Dehydration
You may not have thought dehydration could affect your teeth, but it can. When you consume excessive amounts of alcohol you will actually decrease the amount of saliva in your mouth. This decrease in saliva means that bacteria that is usually naturally washed away is now able to build up and ends up clinging onto the enamel of your teeth and will ultimately increase your risk of tooth decay. If you are drinking alcohol, we recommend alternating your drink with a glass of water to help replenish the saliva in your mouth to keep that bacteria at bay and to avoid dehydration.
Watching your sugar content
We are sure that this will come as no surprise to you, but having a high sugar intake can really increase your chances of tooth decay and gum problems. The bacteria in your mouth thrive on sugar, so choosing a sweet beverage can cause the bacteria to multiply. We recommend choosing drinks that are low in sugar to ensure that the bacteria in your mouth struggles to reproduce. It takes just 5 minutes for the bacteria to start the decay process and up to 60 minutes to stop. That’s why a high frequency of sugary snacks and drinks creates havoc in your mouth. Your teeth have barely recovered before you hit them with another sugar attack and demineralised patches of the enamel progress to become cavities.
Did you know that a glass of wine can range from ½ to 2 teaspoons of sugar per 175ml serving. White wine generally contains more sugar than red wine. Dessert wines, port and fortified wines are at 2 teaspoons end of the scale. The dry or brut options are your best bet if you want to keep your sugar consumption under control and reduce your risk of developing cavities.
A healthy approach
Of course, wherever possible we recommend drinking healthier drinks such as water and staying within the recommended safe limits for alcohol consumption which is 14 units per week for men and women.
Remember that you can swap for a dry wine or champagne to avoid unnecessary sugar, consume acidic drinks with food and sip water in between your drinks to keep your mouth hydrated.
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Great service.
Clean dental clinic. Maria dental hygienist was professional and caring. Highly recommend!
The clinic has such a nice atmosphere. I highly recommend smile hub and Dr Hena.
Would recommend this dental practice to anyone
I was made to feel completely at ease throughout the whole process and I’m thrilled with the results.
Great experience! I’ve been a few times, and the staff are all very friendly and efficient.
Very highly recommended! Definitely going back!
Great attention to detail.
Very happy with the service and treatment provided.
Excellent team; lovely new premises.
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Friendly, helpful, considerate and honest. Would happily recommend Smile Hub.
Excellent new premises and, as ever, impeccably professional friendly treatment.
Very efficient and thorough with good guidance to ensure teeth remain sparkling.
Superb facility, professional staff and fantastic service. I highly recommend Smile Hub at Spitalfields.
As always, Dr Mehta and all his staff are outstanding, could not recommend more.
5* service from Cath and the team - as always. I couldn't recommend highly enough.
Clean and welcoming place, nice and skilled staff. I had a cleaning and I recommend it.
Really excellent dentist. Very caring & put me at ease. Highly recommended.
Who knew that visiting the dentist could actually be a pleasant experience? Thank you!
A fantastic service from Smile Hub Spitalfields. Catherine and the team are great. I highly recommend.
Awesome service! They will be my go to dentists in future.
Maria Balas was incredibly friendly and helpful. Would recommend her to anyone looking for a thorough hygiene.
Very helpful and professional - repaired my chipped tooth on short notice and I’m very pleased with the work. Great experience!
I have been a patient of the clinic for five years and found them always competent, informative and pleasant.
Very professional clinic, friendly bunch. Unbeatable price and amazing finish.
Great service, lovely people, very thorough, value for money. Thanks to Cath and the team.
Very friendly and professional. Always get great service and feel very comfortable. Very nice facilities.
Fantastic as always. Really efficient. Felt completely safe. Thorough and professional. Lovely new consulting rooms.
Highly recommended and have been a customer for years.
Excellent, caring and friendly service. I am sure to return!
Friendly and professional service from all staff at Smile Hub. I had new Vivera retainers made and I am very happy with them!
The service and care offered by the clinic was amazing
Kush was super helpful, patient and informative. Happy with the end result.
High quality dentists and hygienists in a beautiful office
Very professional and excellent customer service.
Everyone is friendly and knowledgeable and 100% puts me at ease.
Excellent service and very friendly and competent.
I can't speak highly enough of Catherine Freestone. She has been my dentist for a year and is amazing and a lovely person. Highly recommend Smile Hub.
I highly recommend visiting this clinic if you want great, competent service by friendly experts!
Excellent service and highly recommend Cath and Smile Hub.
The whole team is friendly and professional and they have the comfiest dental chair I've ever sat in!
My most trusted place for any dental issues. Kush is excellent at what he does and the staff is friendly and makes you comfortable.
Cath Freestone has been my dentist for just over three years. She has been fantastic and I recommend smilehub highly.
Appreciate the service and quality, very good doctor. Definitely recommend.
I would definitely recommend people to contact Dr Freestone at Smile Hub.
Outstanding customer service and the way they treat their customers is like no other dentist I've ever come across.
I had a great experience with Dr Cath Freestone at Smile Hub! She provided excellent advice and care and the surgery is very professional and modern.
Took my 3 year old to see the dentist here last week. Wonderful service.
Excellent service from Smilehub, the whole team is very professional and attentive.
Dr Kush dealt with my situation with great professionalism and made the whole experience go smoothly.
I received an excellent service right the way through and the staff were very helpful and knowledgable.
Great and professional service! Lovely office as well.
Really great dental practice, came here for a hygienist appointment and everything was perfect
I can not recommend there professionalism, compassion, without judgment enough.
I would highly recommend him for anyone looking for an honest and approachable dentist.
I really felt calm and well looked after. Well worth the visit and seamless experience.
I would absolutely recommend if you are looking for an honest dentist that knows what they are doing!
Their receptionist is very professional and helpful, and their facilities are kept very clean.
I would give this 6 stars if I could. Great service from Emma who was extremely attentive and thorough. Highly recommend.
Kush is amazing and makes you feel so at ease; so friendly and professional.
The results were amazing. Highly recommended.
They explain everything that is happening in a clear, concise manner.
I would always highly recommend them!
Great service, easily the best dental surgery I've ever been to.
Catherine's guidance is incredibly comforting and I would absolutely recommend
A wonderful dentist for small children.
Friendly and professional service from start to finish.
Dr Kush was efficient and professional, explaining what he was doing and made me feel comfortable and putting my mind at ease.
Have just finished my Invisalign treatment with Cath and I couldn’t be more pleased with my teeth.
Everyone is very kind and attentive and the care and advice I received from Dr Catherine Freestone were absolutely brilliant.
Staff were very attentive and made sure my whole experience from start to finish was as pleasant as possible.
Smile Hub has stood out as being consistently organised, kind and accommodating, and their work have always been impeccable.
Excellent practice. Efficient, clean and always accommodating on availability.
Fantastic Service with my Dental Hygienist Emma. Good Banter and a great clean.
Dr. Hena was wonderful ! She made me feel calm and explained the whole process calmly to me
The facilities are modern and clean.
Fantastic service, best equipment and new techniques always being introduced.
Dr K is brilliant, made me feel super secure and relaxed, 100% booking all future visits here!
Really fantastic place, would recommend.
Throughout I was confident I was in good hands
Hena and the team have been amazing as I worked through various dental issues with them.
Came in with a toothache and the team there were very thorough and professional.
Professional and caring. Thank you Kath & her team for your great service. Dr Hannah is a jewel of the dental practice.
Comfortable atmosphere despite my initial stress regarding the treatment - would recommend!
I will continue to go to Smile Hub for my regular dentist appointments as they have won me over with their efficient and friendly service.
Dr. Hena went above and beyond to make sure I was comfortable during the procedure
Happy to recommend Hena and Smile Hub to anyone else considering Invisalign treatment.
could not be happier about the results or the service!
Would certainly recommend this practice to anyone!
I highly recommend this dentist to anyone. Their reception team is also very accommodating!
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8a Brushfield Street
London
E1 6AN
Monday
8:30am - 7:00pm
Tuesday
7:30am - 5:30pm
Wednesday
8:30am - 5:30pm
Thursday
8:30am - 5:30pm
Friday
7:30am - 5:30pm
Saturday
8:30am - 5:30pm
Sunday
Closed
Linklaters Wellness Centre
2nd Floor Milton House
One Silk Street
London
EC2Y 8HQ
Tuesday - Thursday
9am - 5pm
Monday, Friday, Saturday & Sunday
Closed
Copyright © 2023 Smile Hub Dental. This website was last updated on 29/03/2022 at 16:01
