Coffee is one of Americans’ favorite beverages. If they only knew exactly what it does to their breath, it might not be a favorite anymore.

Coffee, along with other foods such as cabbage and onions, can create foul-smelling bad breath. This is because the acidity in coffee is much higher then that of our saliva. An acidic environment is a bacterial heaven. This is where bacteria thrive. Our saliva has a neutral acid/base composition, but when acidic substances such as coffee are introduced, bacteria begins to grow.

It is obvious that our mouths are not naturally foul-smelling by looking at babies. Babies do not drink coffee or eat onions. However, they also do not brush their teeth. Even without regular brushing, babies do not have bad breath. This is because they do not consume products with high acidity levels such as coffee. This means their saliva maintains its neutral level and deters bacteria from growing.

When bacteria grows inside one’s mouth from coffee consumption, they begin to produce sulfur compounds. Many times these sulfur compounds smell like fecal matter and cause bad breath. The more you drink coffee, the more bacteria grows. The more bacteria that grows, the more the sulfurous compounds are created. Breath just gets worse and worse with every sip of coffee taken.

There are some steps to take to get rid of bad breath caused by coffee. The easiest, and most obvious way is to stop drinking coffee. Even though this is the simplest answer, it is pretty unrealistic. Another thing one could do to get rid of the bad breath is to get rid of the growing bacteria and sulfurous compounds. You can do this by brushing twice a day and giving special attention to the tongue. The tongue is the single largest breeding ground for bacteria in the mouth. Many times it is forgotten, and people with very clean teeth can have very unclean tongues.

Having a cup of coffee every day won’t kill you. However, it will make it a little more difficult to have sweet-smelling breath. The acidity in coffee creates a breeding haven for bacteria growth in one’s mouth.