If you thought that bad breath was caused just by the foods you ate, think again. What you drink can also have a major impact on the freshness of your breath…

In my late 20’s I developed a really bad case of halitosis. I’d never had what you could call absolutely mint-fresh breath, but this really was something different. Foul, rank and disgusting, I soon began to lose confidence and dreaded talking to people for fear of having them recoil in disgust as the stench of my breath hit them.

At first I put it down to the foods I was eating. I had a particular fondness for ‘smelly’ foods such as cheese and onion crisps and curries, although I did think it a bit strange that my boyfriend didn’t seem to have the same problem despite eating the same foods.

In my naivety, I genuinely thought my bad breath problem was nothing that a new toothbrush and a good dose of mouthwash wouldn’t fix. How wrong was I!...

Why The Cause Of Your Bad Breath May Actually Be Lurking In A Soft Drinks Can

You can imagine my surprise when researching the causes of bad breath several long years later that I discovered that it was not necessarily the foods that I was eating that were causing my halitosis hell, but rather my love of seemingly-innocent soft drinks…

At first I couldn’t believe that fizzy drinks may have been responsible for the rotten stench coming from my mouth. In fact, I had always made sure I opted for the sugar-free and low-cal varieties specifically so my teeth didn’t rot from too much sugar.

However, it turns out that cola, soda and other fizzy drinks can actually increase the amount of bacteria in your mouth. And as our other article discusses in more detail, it is this bacteria which is the number one cause of chronic bad breath.
We all have these bacteria present in our mouths, and in regular amounts they play an important role in your body’s digestive process by breaking down the proteins found in the foods you eat. But it’s when they multiply in excess numbers that problems can occur…

So What’s The Link Between Cola And These Bad Breath Bacteria?

In particular, these bacteria are anaerobic, meaning that they survive – and indeed thrive – without oxygen.

Soft drinks contain lots of carbon dioxide to give them their ‘fizziness’. This in turn contributes to low levels of oxygen which cause the bad breath bacteria to reproduce in increasing numbers and make your halitosis problem even worse.

What Should You Drink Instead To Beat Bad Breath?

Health experts recommend that water is the very best drink for your body and well-being, and it’s certainly no different in the case of good oral health too.

And of course water contains no unpleasant odors – though just make sure you stick to the natural, still variety and avoid fizzy water at all costs!

Others have suggested that you should also steer clear of coffee and other drinks containing caffeine, as well as alcohol, as they too can hamper your attempts to get rid of bad breath for good, although for slightly different reasons to those relating to fizzy drinks.

As you can see, it appears that there is a definite link between cola and bad breath. And while it’s just one of several factors which can make bad breath bacteria worse, nevertheless it’s worth giving yourself a head start in the fight to beat your halitosis and binning it for good. I must admit that I did struggle for a while after giving up my soft drink addiction, but it was definitely a sacrifice well worth making in order to enjoy sweeter-smelling breath - all day every day!

>> Click to read about a surefire bad breath cure << 

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