Most people who drink wine have seen “wine tongue”, the purple/red stain that red wine leaves on the tongue, as well as lips and teeth. If I am not mistaken, this is due to the tannins in the wine.
However, I have noticed that over the last couple years I get wine tongue more frequently than I used to. This could be because I have been drinking more tannic wines, but I have also noticed that I get sometimes get wine tongue even when the people I am drinking with don’t. Is there anything that could cause this to be the case?
I am obviously not looking for medical advice, as I don’t consider this a medical problem. Just curious about why this happens.
Do you use mouthwash by any chance? Following dental surgery recently I was advised to use mouthwash containing chlorhexidine. That tends to stain the tongue slightly brown, but not hugely so. However, the first time I drank red wine after using the mouthwash, my tongue was stained a vivid black colour!
I would be interested to know this as well. It used to happen to me very noticeably. Of course, I was a heavy drinker. Would that have anything to do with it? Although it would be worse if I hadn’t brushed my teeth in a while for my tongue and teeth, it always happened with red wine. Even my lips. This also happens to my mom, but not my father.