Horrible Breath

[Erikab1033]

my really close friend has horrible breath and I have no clue how to tell her. Should I tell her and if so how? She is very offensive and I don't want to lose her as a friend so I just deal with it. People at work talk about her behind her back so how do I tell her? Her teeth are very crooked and I was wondering if crooked teeth could be the problem or her teeth could be rotten and if so I could possibly suggest braces in a nice way. Please help, its really a huge problem.

[bb]

Tough call.

I wonder if an email would be ok. Then she could be embarassed without anyone seeing her.
I don't know.

[ohmyjaw]

Yes, I think you should tell her. Her breath may be caused by her teeth, but not necessarily. It could be a result of any number of health problems. Just because her teeth are crooked, doesn't mean that's what is causing the bad breath. She should start with a visit to her family doctor.

[Erikab1033]

what would I say?

[ohmyjaw]

Ok, I have no experience with this personally, so I don't know what I would say. But I think you should just tell her straight forward, but gently: You have a breath issue and you need to get some medical attention.

[bbsadmin]

Sometimes bad breath is the sign of a sinus problem or food particles that have become stuck in a person's tonsils. If regular bad-breath elimination tactics don't solve the problem (better oral hygiene, tongue scraping, mouth rinses), then she should see an Ear Nose Throat doctor for an evaluation.

[Megan11]

Man this is a hard one, sounds to me like she has halatosis. I fear that if you do tell her, it might have a pretty significant psychological impact on her. I mean, if someone told me that I had horrible breath, so horrible that it needed to be looked at by a professional I would become extremely self conscious about it. I wouldn't feel comfortable talking in close range with people, and kissing to say the least. But, at the same time I wonder, would I want to know....

Man..... I have to think about that.

[Erikab1033]

Now if someone told me out loud in front of others then I would be offended and embarassed but if u pull me to the side and tell me it would probably still hurt my feelings but I would find out what's wrong. Then I would wonder has others smelled my breath and thought the same thing and then I would be embarassed anyways. Im trying to think of how I would want to know because not only do I have to tell her she has bad breath but that it smells bad everyday and its more of a smell that makes you feel sick and not from something she may have ate that day. So I'm gone to practice a nice way to say it.

[UGHBRACES]

I would not tell her, she likely already knows.

[bracegirl77]

I'm kinda in a situation like that myself with someone who is near and dear to my heart. But I do not have the courage to tell this person. I wish I did because this person breath is horrible.

[Davark]

There are also subtle ways to get the message across such as slightly squinting and taking a step back when she speaks to you, or gently raising your hand to cover your mouth and nose. I have done this before and the other person says "does my breath smell?" and say yes i'm sorry it does. Might be worth a try

[Soworththeeffort]

Let your laptop do the talking - write your friend an anonymous note. You still have to think about how to write it tactfully (and hopefully, with love), but a note will: get the message across; let your friend react privately (minimizing embarrassment); and lets you off the hook. However, if your friend comes to you and says, "Gee, I got this note - do you think I have bad breath?" - you're going to have to be straight with her and tell her you have actually noticed it.

Alternately, you could encourage her to have a baby, wait until that child is six years old, then have the kid say, "Mom, your breath stinks!" (Well, it worked for me .)

[UGHBRACES]

There are a lot of rude people out there. I am sure over the years she has gotten a "damn, your breath stanks!" comment. I think she already knows.

Maybe you could just talk about other people who have bad breath to her, and maybe that will make her more conscious about it and try and do something about it..

[Erikab1033]

Ughbraces thats not a bad idea. I have always been one of those people who deals with things until they boil over and I just explode with the truth. That happened with my ortho and him not telling much about my treatment and I finally just got tired of it and eventually exploded with a million and one questions leaving him with no choice but to sit and answer each and everyone of them.

[kirjax]

I know from experience that I'm sure my breath (esp since braces) hasn't always been pleasant. I do have a condition roughly called tonsil stones....basically people who have large tonsils have creases in them and food gets stuck in there which creates bacteria. There's really no way to prevent it from happening except to remove your tonsils which as an adult can be extremely painful (and not something I care to go through). I do however try to eliminate it by rinsing out my mouth with listerine after eating large meals which helps. It's a pain to have though so if you don't have tonsils consider yourself lucky!!

I really wouldn't know what to say either to the person but def. don't do it in front of a large group. My friend had horrible breath. I didn't know what to say to her. Talking to her was really hard cause you wanted to turn away when she spoke. I let it go then later found out she had stomach problems which probably was causing the bad breath. So you have to take the situation lightly. A lot of people aren't aware that their breath is bad and obviously when people offer you a mint or gum it's a sure hint u need one So that's always a possibility is to keep offereing them and she may go, "hmm are they trying to tell me something!" lol
However I offered my friend many times and she always declined