Coffee vs. Caffeine

[hope4now]

I know coffee makes my breath bad, but I need the caffeine at work. I've tried tea, and it also makes my breath bad, but not as bad as coffee. I've heard some people get bb relief when they give up caffeine entirely. Is it the caffeine or the acids in the coffee/tea/cola that make it bad? Maybe it's the dry mouth effect from the caffeine.

I read somewhere that roasted coffee beans contain some of the same chemicals found in feces. That may explain why it's the worst beverage for bb. I'm going to try taking caffeine pills for awhile instead of coffee. That will test whether the caffeine itself is bad, or something else in the coffee.

Has anyone else compared different sources of caffeine on bb?

[sadman]

LONDON, England (CNN) -- When people think of coffee, words such as caffeine, aroma and energy may spring to mind. 'Good breath,' however, certainly isn't one of them.
Mel Rosenberg

Mel Rosenberg at work in his 'smell laboratory' found that coffee can lead to good breath.

So researchers at Tel Aviv University in Israel, were in for a surprise when their study into the relation between coffee and bad breath, showed that coffee can actually lead to good breath.

Breath specialist Mel Rosenberg of the university's Faculty of Medicine found that there are certain components in coffee that inhibit the bacteria that lead to bad breath -- preventing these bacteria from making their presence felt, or smelt.

"Everybody thinks that coffee causes bad breath," Rosenberg told CNN "and as a latte drinker, I believe that too."

But the malodor doesn't necessarily come from the coffee itself, said Rosenberg: "We think that coffee, which has a dehydrating effect on the mouth, can ferment into bad breath when mixed with substances such as milk."

This meant that until recently, coffee was up there with not eating a healthy breakfast, not drinking enough water and consuming alcohol as causes for unpleasant mouth odors.

But until Rosenberg's study, no one had ever scientifically shown the link between the consumption of coffee and bad breath.

Rosenberg's team wanted to prove just that. They did the research by taking saliva and incubating it with different brands of coffee including the Israeli brand Elite coffee, Landwer Turkish coffee, and Taster's Choice.

"We thought this coffee and saliva mixture would have a terrible odor, but incredibly it had the opposite effect."

Rosenberg -- who also created popular mouthwash Dentyl pH -- is now thinking about creating a mouthwash, toothpaste, or chewing gum based on coffee.

The effects could be similar to plant extracts such as clove oil, which have also been shown to have anti-bacterial properties that prevent bad breath.

But first Rosenberg would have to find which of the hundreds of components in coffee are the ones that have these beneficial properties. "That will take a long time" said Rosenberg.

"But this research has already been a lesson in humility, showing that assumptions are not always correct." Rosenberg -- who also writes children's books such as 'Mel the Smell Dragon' -- told CNN.

"And sometimes, getting it wrong can create even more interesting outcomes."

[caramiamine98]

Hi Hope4now,

Have you tried green tea? It’s supposed to help with BB. It has caffeine in it but not as much as coffee or regular tea.

http://ezinearticles.com/?Fight-Bad-Bre ... id=1304755

[brightonguy]

@hope.... how do you take your coffee? If it's with milk and sugar, cut them out and take it black. I don't think coffee makes my breath worse, but if I took it with cows milk it definitely would.... see sadman's post above. More research needs to be done into the effects of coffee on BB but this initial study at least suggests it may not be a BB bad guy afterall.

[OneDay111]

Hot Chocolate > all.

[terranpatriot]

I believe that there is a link between caffeine and bb, not just coffee and bb. My BB gets worse after I drink coffee, but also noticeably worse when I drink Red Bull or Monster energy drinks (the sugar free ones). I also notice that when I consume energy drinks with higher amounts of caffeine, my BB goes through the roof. I went through a phase where I was consuming exorbitant amounts of caffeine on a daily basis, including Redline (a drink with about 300 mg per bottle). This stuff used to make my breath horrid, and my white tongue became indicative of that. Whenever I drink energy drinks or coffee, my white tongue gets pretty bad, sometimes the whiteness in the back of my tongue gets as thick like a cake-like layer (but only in the back of my tongue) and my mouth is much dryer.

I think it would be interesting to see if taking the caffeine in a capsule/tablet form would be better than orally consuming caffeine. Who knows if effect is caused by the caffeine topically flowing over the oral cavity and down the esophagus, or if the dehydration side effect can be bypassed if it remains covered when it goes in the mouth and down the esophagus until it enters the stomach. If you notice anything, please keep us updated. I am on the same boat, I also need some form of caffeine to keep me productive at work.

[KeepTrying09]

I'd say no to the caffeine pills. Aren't those things addictive? LOL, I just remember that episode of Saved by the Bell where Jesse Spano got addicted to caffeine pills and bugged out.

All the research i've read says that tea is actually good for bad breath cuz it has some kind of chemical compounds that act as a natural anti-microbial, and that's including black tea and green tea. Actually black tea was said to have more of the specific compounds in question than green tea.

Finally, research has shown that people who drink several big glasses of water upon waking up experience the same level of alertness as those who drink a cup of coffee. Maybe you should try doing that and see how it goes. Water is definitely better for you anyway because it helps to increase saliva flow, whereas coffee just reduces it.

[hope4now]

Thanks for all the replies/advice. I have been using caffeine pills (and a few energy drinks) since last Friday. I am using the drug store pills similar to Vivarin (200 mg). To get more of a timed release, I break them up into four pieces and take one every 2 hours. It's not as strong as coffee though. I went through a mild coffee withdrawal yesterday, despite the caffeine. There are other addictive chemicals in coffee besides the caffeine.

I found a timed-release form online called "Greencoffex" that's on order. It releases 200 mg over 8 hours. I think that will be more convenient. It's a natural form of caffeine from unroasted coffee beans.

So far I think this is helping my bb. I don't get that bitter/sour taste in my mouth by late morning. I also drink plenty of water throughout the day. Unfortunately, my mental focus hasn't been as good without the coffee. I'm hoping it's the temporary coffee withdrawal.

I think it could be the acids in many caffeinated drinks that exacerbate bb. The energy drinks/soft drinks aren't as bad as coffee, but definitely worse than caffeine pills and water.

[elliott]

Amazing how different experiences can be.

Coffee is one of the worse culprits for BB for me. 30 minutes after one (black or not), not only can I sense my own oral malodor, the people around me are twice as alert to my presence. When I drink coffee, there is a fecal air to my breath, a dryness to my mouth, an increase in acidity which lasts for 2 days. There is absolutely no question in my mind that coffee is a horrible thing for my systemwhich lasts more than 24 hours.

I have tried tea and the symptoms are not much different than coffee or even beer. Over acidic, sour and extremely foul odor. The only tea which does not effect me is herbal tea, which has no tea leaves,very little acidity.

Energy drinks. Sugary, whether it's the real sugar or substitutes, both have fructose which destroy me. Not to mention the other chemicals of who knows what the effects are.

All of these substances are diuretics which increase the conditions that cause bad breath.

I disclaim that my condition is most likely a digestive, not an oral issue, so that may make a difference. It's best to keep any food or drinks as clean and pure as possible in my opinion. There is NOTHING good that you can eat or drink, there is no getting around that.

PS yes you can get over the need for coffee. I think most of it is psychological. Trust that you can get through the first hour and you'll forget all about it. If you're able to get some yogurt or any type of pure (and safe for you) food, you'll have enough energy and mental acuity to get to lunch

[brightonguy]

[quote="elliott"] There is NOTHING good that you can eat or drink, there is no getting around that.

It'd be great if you could elaborate on this. As it stands I can't see how this can be true. It implies that the alternative, say not eating or drinking for one day, would somehow give you better breath compared to eating and drinking. I sympathise with you to the extent that eating generally doesn't seem to make me BB free (although natural yoghurt does seem to help me quite considerably) but not eating or drinking would make it a whole lot worse.