How to Tell Someone They Have Bad Breath

At some point in time we have all had bad breath. Luckily for most of us, this is just a brief moment and can be cured by a stick of gum. Other people are not so lucky and often walk around polluting the air with foul breath.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Have a private conversation with the person, if she is your friend. A true friend will discretely tell you have spinach in your teeth or that your zipper is down, saving you from embarrassment. Keep the conversation brief and direct. Your goal is to solve the problem, not embarrass her

2. Tell a close friend of the person. Letting a person know that he has bad breath can be an uncomfortable experience. This is probably why the person still has bad breath. If you do not have a close relationship with the person, find someone who does. Let them know about the problem and leave the dirty work to them.

3. Use hints to send a message. Get her to think about her own breath. If you notice someone has bad breath, ask her if she had garlic for lunch. Or, ask her if you have bad breath. Be ready to give an honest answer if she asks you if her breath is bad.

4. Offer him gum, mints or other breath freshener anytime you see him. He may think that you are paranoid about having bad breath or he might get the hint that he needs to freshen his breath.

5. Send an anonymous email to the person, if you find no other way to tell her about her bad breath. Badbreathogram allows you to create an anonymous email that will be sent to the person. This way you still let the person know she has bad breath without having to endure any discomfort yourself.

Resources

• Badbreathogram sends an anonymous email to the person with bad breath.

[MaternityBride]

on 9/23/2008 My boss has breath that could strip wallpaper at 50 paces! We've all tried the mints, the 'I'm off to the dental hygienist for my check-up' to no avail - he's still appalling. So I'm going to try your suggestion about the anonymous email ... wish me luck!

[flutter85]

on 6/4/2008 Hello bellader I am in the same boat as you. I have been dating this guy for 3wks he seems to get along great with my kids seems nice he is on the heavy side and his breath is awful. Do we just break it off with them or do we find a way to tell them and hope that they dont take it offensive. From the looks of it this is a tough question. Hope someone can give some advice.

[bellader]

on 5/19/2008 I have just started dating this guy and he is just great, but his breath is so bad that I cannot even eat while facing him let alone kiss him- how can I tell him without hurting him orjust giving him breath mints- he already takes them after coffee. Help, I don't want to lose him.