How Coffee Affects Your Mouth

Tribeca Coffee & Your Teeth | Upper East Side Dental Office

The alarm buzzes, you apprehensively hit snooze and with effort bring yourself out of bed and onto your feet. Your day does not begin until you have that much-needed cup of coffee in the morning. You have your cup at home, take it on the go with you, stop at your local coffee shop on the way to work or brew it at the office. And so your Daily Grind begins. So what happens to your dental heath with each cup?

As a coffee drinker, you could receive unpleasant effects from drinking coffee. Effects such as teeth stains, enamel erosion, and bad breath A.K.A coffee breath. Drinking a high caffeinated black cup of coffee can destroy the bacteria in your mouth that is responsible for plaque build-up. There’s a positive!

One of the most noticeable and common impacts on the mouth that drinking coffee can cause is staining. Because your teeth enamel is porous, that dark-colored coffee can penetrate and create stains. Having regular dental cleanings will help eliminate some of these surface stains.

Another not so great effect coffee has on your mouth is enamel erosion. Over time, your enamel can begin to have erosion due to the acid in your coffee. A way to help prevent or lessen the amount of erosion is to drink your coffee through a straw and swish your mouth with water after drinking coffee. You may want to brush but because your enamel will be vulnerable after drinking the coffee, it is best to wait at least one hour prior to brushing. This will help prevent any damage that brushing could cause while your enamel is weak.

The caffeine in coffee can dry out saliva in your mouth. The result is bad breath. Bacteria grows more quickly in the mouth when there is no saliva to cleanse the bacteria. This can lead to that unpleasant coffee-breath. Chewing a sugar-free gum can help get rid of that unwanted lingering bacteria.

On the plus side, coffee high in caffeine may actually help destroy certain bacteria that causes dental plaques. But only if you drink it black.

As with anything there are pros and cons. You can still enjoy your coffee and have a healthy smile.

Visiting Dr. Lattinelli and Associates for routine dental office check-ups will ensure you have a healthy mouth and happy smile while still being able to enjoy your daily cup of coffee. We have an experienced team to treat all of your individual dental needs. Give us a call to schedule your check-up today!