If you’re a coffee lover, you’ve probably experienced coffee breath. Coffee breath is a foul odor that is common after drinking coffee.
Coffee dries out your mouth, leading to the buildup of food particles and bacteria, as your saliva can’t wash them away.
If you’re worried about bad breath after drinking coffee, the following tips will help you avoid it.
Drink Water
Water is a quick and straightforward solution to coffee breath. It hydrates you and washes away acids, food particles, bacteria, and leftover coffee on your teeth and tongue.
It’s accessible – carry a water bottle or pick one up from your nearest convenience store.
Swish the water in your mouth before swallowing for maximum effect. Washing out your mouth in the sink can also help remove coffee breath.
Brush Your Teeth
One of the most effective ways to clean out your mouth and prevent bad breath is by brushing your teeth.
The problem is that most people drink coffee after brushing their teeth in the morning. An easy solution is brushing your teeth again after your morning cup of Joe.
Use Mouthwash
Mouthwash is a quick and easy fix to bad breath, including coffee breath. You can quickly swish your mouth with mouthwash on the way out the door; it requires less time than brushing your teeth.
Mouthwash kills bacteria and germs in your mouth, which is essential for good oral hygiene. In addition, mouthwash usually comes with a mint scent or another pleasant scent that masks coffee breath.
Floss
Flossing alone won’t usually kill bad breath. However, it’s crucial to add flossing to your oral hygiene routine. Unfortunately, less than a third of Americans floss their teeth daily.
Without flossing, particles of food can remain stuck between your teeth.
That alone can contribute to bad breath; adding coffee and milk to the mix can worsen it, as the food particles can absorb the coffee, leading to lingering coffee breath.
Flossing daily will also remove plaque, which can lead to gum disease and oral decay.
Chew Sugarless Gum for a Quick Fix
It’s a good idea to carry a small pack of gum with you. You can keep it in your backpack, purse, car, or even laptop case. It’s small and can even fit into your pocket.
Just take a piece of gum and chew on it after a cup of coffee. Chewing gum will help you generate saliva and clean out your mouth.
Not only that, but gum comes in different flavors and scents. Mint gum can help your breath smell nice and refreshing instead of stale and coffee-like.
However, avoid gum containing sugar, as it’s terrible for your teeth and can lead to cavities.
Take Mints or Mint Candy
Breath mints can freshen your breath, remove foul odors, and eliminate coffee breath.
While they don’t help you generate a lot of saliva like gum, they are still very effective. Opt for sugarless breath mints, if possible, to protect your teeth and avoid cavities.
Mint candies can also help but can damage your teeth, so use them sparingly.
Note that Tic Tacs contain sugar, although the company advertises them as sugar-free. That’s because the amount of sugar per serving – only one Tic Tac – is less than 0.5 grams.
Some people hate the strong mint flavor many breath mints have, describing it as overwhelming. Opt for a breath mint with a more subtle flavor or a breath refresher that doesn’t contain mint.
You can also pick up a bag of lozenges for sore throat relief, as they usually freshen up your breath and mask any coffee breath you might have.
Eat Yogurt for Breakfast
Yogurt contains healthy bacteria, including Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus bulgaricus.
A study found that a daily dose of yogurt can help reduce nasty odor – 80 percent of participants saw a decrease in odoriferous compounds.
While further research is necessary, the good bacteria in yogurt are also helpful for gut health and a robust immune system.
Take Your Coffee Black and Without Sugar
Bad breath isn’t solely due to the milk in your coffee. However, adding milk can worsen the problem – it adds more bacteria to your mouth and contributes to coffee breath.
Taking your coffee black can help you reduce the symptoms of coffee breath.
Did you know that bacteria feed on sugar? Milk contains sugar naturally, one reason it makes your coffee breath worse.
Some types of milk, such as low-fat and skim, include more sugar than full-fat milk. Rice milk also has a lot of sugar – even more than cow’s milk.
If you can’t give up the milk, you may consider switching to a low–sugar alternative, such as almond milk.
Just make sure to choose an unsweetened variety, as sweetened almond milk can contain a lot of extra sugar.
However, even if you take your coffee black, adding sugar can worsen foul odors in your mouth.
Switching to sugar alternatives, such as Splenda, can reduce the foul odor coming from your mouth after drinking coffee.
Another option is using plain cinnamon or a cinnamon stick to add flavor to your black coffee and reduce its bitterness. Vanilla might also work.
Besides, many people take too much sugar with their coffee. If you drink multiple cups of coffee daily, the amount of sugar you consume with your coffee alone can easily exceed the daily limit that health experts recommend.
Too much sugar can lead to various health conditions, such as diabetes.
Take Lighter-Roast Coffee
Dark roast coffee will give you a more pungent coffee breath odor than lighter roasts.
That’s because darker roasts have more tannins, leading to a drier mouth. You may notice fewer dry mouth symptoms when switching to a lighter roast.
Conclusion
You don’t have to live with coffee breath, even if you’re a coffee lover. Brush your teeth, gargle some mouthwash after drinking coffee, or take some breath mints or gum to mask your coffee breath.