How PROSECCO can ruin your teeth: Think your favourite fizz is a healthy option? Sorry, but your dentist won't agree 

Sitting in the dentist's chair last week, I was confidently expecting to be told I was worrying about nothing.

I'd booked an appointment after noticing my teeth were becoming sensitive - having ice in a drink would make me wince - and that I appeared to have a small dent in the bottom of the front two.

Even so, as someone who'd proudly reached the age of 29 without a single filling, I thought I'd be told to change my toothpaste and that would be that. Instead, the diagnosis was much more serious.

Smiling through: Georgette after dental treatment necessary due to the amount of prosecco she drank

'The enamel on your teeth has eroded,' said my dentist, Dr Mervyn Druian of the London Centre for Cosmetic Dentistry, 'and you need fillings in both the front ones.'

Then, as I reeled in shock, he asked: 'Do you have a fondness for fizzy drinks?'

If I wasn't so upset, I'd have laughed - I'm a health freak and the nearest I get to things like Coca-Cola is when I pass them in the supermarket aisle.

'So what do you drink?' he probed.

'I enjoy the odd glass of prosecco,' I told him.

She considered herself a health-freak until she realised the alcohol she was guzzling was eroding her teeth

'Just the odd one?'

Well, no. I adore the stuff like so many women who've fallen in love with the Italian sparkly wine since it first came to our shores a few years ago.

Back then, barely anyone in Britain had heard of prosecco. In 2009 just two million bottles were sold here. Five years later and that had rocketed to an astonishing 28 million - with 2015's figures set to be 72 per cent higher still.

It's overtaken champagne in popularity thanks to its slight sweetness, its cost (you can pick up a good quality bottle for around £7) and the fact it contains fewer calories - around 80 in a standard 125ml flute compared with 90 for the French equivalent.

Georgette, after the treatment, says she fell 'in love with the Italian sparkly wine'

No wonder it's fast becoming the tipple of choice for women. I can get through a bottle in one night.

Yet it's this love affair with prosecco that is ruining my - and other women's - teeth. Dr Druian confessed dentists have now seen so many women whose teeth have been damaged by the acid in the drink that they've dubbed it 'prosecco smile'.

'These are women who take pride in their appearance and live otherwise healthy lifestyles,' he says. 'They don't realise the damage they're doing to their teeth or their insides.'

I had no idea either. I'd been kidding myself that by eschewing drinks such as Fanta and cola, I was being healthy. I've never felt so stupid - I'm an intelligent woman, so why had I been deluding myself that prosecco was harmless?

The problem with the drink is two-fold. First, it contains about a teaspoon of sugar per glass, not as much as a glass of cola, but enough to feed the harmful bacteria in your mouth and can lead to tooth decay.

Second, the bubbles in prosecco contain high levels of carbon dioxide which are highly acidic and this acid attacks and erodes the enamel in the teeth, weakening them and making them more susceptible to decay. While all sparkling wines can damage teeth, prosecco is worse than, say, champagne or Spanish cava, because it's made from a different grape containing more sugar.

And dentists know if the erosion in your mouth is being caused by drinks rather than food because the front teeth - which are in contact with liquid the most - are the first to be affected.

He filled my top two teeth and advised me to invest in an enamel pro-repair toothpaste for sensitive teeth and make sure I brush my teeth properly after drinking. He sent me on my way with the dire warning that if I didn't mend my ways, I could soon end up with the teeth of an 80-year-old.

But I could kick myself that I've already done so much damage. I've always been so proud of my teeth. My mother always called me a 'dentist's dream' as I've always eaten so well - even as a child, I didn't like chocolate or sweets.

In 2009 just two million bottles of prosecco were sold in the UK. Five years later and that had rocketed to an astonishing 28 million - with 2015's figures set to be 72 per cent higher still. Above, Georgette drinking

Now, I'm faced with the fear I'll end up with decay that will lead to more fillings then the nightmare of crowns, dental implants or even false teeth. And it's not just me. Joanne Pearl from Southend-on-Sea, Essex, has been drinking prosecco three times a week for three or four years.

'About a year ago, I started noticing my teeth felt sensitive,' says the 30-year-old receptionist.

'Towards the end of 2015, I felt a shooting pain whenever I had ice cream, then it also started to happen whenever I had a sip of a cold drink.

'During a check-up my dentist told me some of my tooth enamel had eroded. I was confused because I don't like fizzy drinks and have never had a huge sweet tooth. What's more, I've always kept up my dental hygiene.

'My dentist quizzed me on my alcohol intake, and when I told him how much prosecco I drink, he said he thought it was responsible for the enamel erosion.

'I was so shocked. I work out four times a week, eat a balanced diet and my one guilty pleasure is prosecco. I'd thought it was much less damaging than wine or spirits which contain higher levels of alcohol.'

Joanne's dentist said if she carries on drinking prosecco, she should use a straw to avoid it coming into contact with her teeth.

'I can't quite bring myself to pop a straw into a beautiful flute glass,' she says, 'so while I still have the odd glass of prosecco, I've switched to vodka, lime and soda water and clean my teeth with a pro-enamel toothpaste.'

Businesswoman Karen Williams was drawn to prosecco a few years ago by claims of fewer calories. 'I discovered it at a friend's party,' says the 34-year-old. 'After that it became my 'go-to' drink when I was out or entertaining at home.

But a recent dental check-up revealed she, too, has paid the price with a 'prosecco smile'.

'I was dumbfounded to discover what was causing the sensitivity in my teeth,' says Karen.

'I was so delighted to find such a cheap and low-calorie alternative to champagne but, as the saying goes, if it's too good to be true it usually is. I've now stopped drinking it at home, and when I'm out, I try to persuade my friends to buy something different.'

Georgette says now she will be cutting on the amount of prosecco she drinks and brushing very thoroughly afterwards if she does 'fall off the wagon'

But what can we prosecco lovers do to lessen the damage to our teeth if we can't quite face giving the bubbly stuff up?

'We don't want people to stop drinking prosecco full stop,' says Dr Druian. 'But we advise our patients to cut down and not to forget to brush their teeth with a pro-enamel toothpaste when they get home.

'You could try interspersing alcoholic drinks with water and swill the water around your teeth. Dilute your drinks with ice or drink through a straw.'

Switching to an alcohol without damaging bubbles could also help. If you do this and choose to stick to wine rather than spirits, it's best to opt for red rather than white which contains more sugar.

Sadly, I won't be reaching for the Merlot just yet as I hate the 'red wine mouth' it gives me which makes me look like the Joker from Batman. It's also more calorific - up to 190 for a 175ml glass.

Nor will I be drinking through a straw - I can't face looking so unsophisticated.

Instead I'll be drastically cutting back on the amount of prosecco I drink and brushing very thoroughly afterwards if I do fall off the wagon.

Because when people see me happy, I want them to think I've got a lovely smile, not one that's come out of a prosecco bottle.