Coffee is the most popular beverage in the world, with over 1.4 billion cups poured every day.
In the morning, it gives that energy boost needed to take on the day and it can keep people awake when they are burning the midnight oil.
The downside is that coffee can cause a serious case of bad breath.
Why coffee makes the breath smell
Whatever is put in the mouth makes the breath smell. The stronger the smell of the food or drink, the worse it will make the breath smell.
• Sulphur compounds: Coffee, which contains high sulphur compounds, is one of the major causes of bad breath.
• Coffee dries the mouth: Moreover, the caffeine in coffee dries the mouth. And when insufficient saliva is produced, there is not enough to kill the bacteria that cause bad breath. The bacteria grow and cause mouth odour.
In addition, if there is not enough saliva to wash these bacteria away, food particles break down and cause bad breath.
• Coffee has a natural strong odour: Another reason coffee can cause bad breath is simply because it has a very strong odour and, combined with other bad smells, can result in terribly smelly breath.
Other compounds, such as the milk in the coffee, contribute to the problem.
Drinking coffee without bad breath
If coffee breath is totally unacceptable by you, there are ways to combat it.
• Brush teeth or chew gum: Obviously, brushing your teeth is the fastest way to keep friends close post-cappuccino, and there is always gum to be chewed. Or, keep a stash of tea-tree toothpicks nearby for a subtle scent, or chew a pinch of fennel seeds.
For those who want to avoid coffee breath altogether, and for whom coffee and toothpaste don’t mix, it is all to do with finding a balance and variation.
• Drink green tea: Alternate some of the coffee consumption with green tea. Green tea extract removes the stinky sulphurs produced by tooth decay, according to a review in the Journal of Oral Biology.
Researchers suggest that green tea also helps stimulate the production of saliva that helps clean up the teeth after eating, or drinking coffee.
• Drink water: A drink of water can help wash away the lingering smell of coffee as well.
• Eat an apple: Other quick and easy fixes include making the mouth produce more saliva to combat the bacteria that cause bad breath — eat an apple, which has saliva-producing enzymes, drink ginger tea or eat yoghurt, which boasts anti-bacterial properties, or chomp on a clove, which KOs bad breath like a champ.
This article first appeared on Hello Doktor and was medically reviewed by the Hello Doktor Medical Panel. The Hello Health Group does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.