Bad breath is a common predicament for many people. Also known as halitosis, bad breath can be caused by coffee, sugar, smoking, alcohol, or even medications. It can be very embarrassing, so people try to cover the symptoms with mouthwash, mints and gum. These do help but don’t necessarily address the causes for a permanent solution.
Coffee. Coffee can cause bad breath for multiple reasons. First, people tend to smell like the things they drink. Some of this odor comes from remnants of coffee in the mouth, and some from the things, like milk, cream, or flavored creamers, that are often added to coffee. The release of these odors continue as the coffee passes through the body. Saliva in the mouth is needed to help to eliminate odor-causing bacteria and wash away or digest food particles that may be trapped between the teeth. Caffeine in coffee can dry out the mouth. Without the saliva constantly rinsing food particles and bacteria from the mouth, the odor can increase. Coffee is also high in sulfur compounds, which, when broken down, release rather unpleasant smelling gases.