How do I tell a friend that he/she has bad breath?

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Author: Matt

Do you have a friend who suffers from bad breath?  Actually the question should be are you suffering from your friend's bad breath?  We're going to discuss some ways of letting your friend know about their problem.

In most cases, your friend will not be aware of their own stench.  Think about this.  When you are surrounded with a specific odor for an extended period of time, you become sort of "immune" to it.  For example, when you go back to the home of a family member you haven't seen for a while, one of the first things you may notice when entering their house is the unique smell that your brain associates with that person.  If you're lucky, it is a pleasant aroma. 

Likewise, you may recall a fowl odor of your own that went unnoticed until someone mentioned it, body odor after a workout, some chemical your work with etc.  The point is, we should be considerate of our friend's feelings.  Yes, they need to be made aware of their bad breath but the blunt approach while appropriate sometimes is not always the best approach. 

Perhaps you're good at dropping hints.  You could carry breath mints with you and pop them into your mouth as you mention to your friend that you are concerned about your own breath.  Then cup your hands over your mouth and nose and exhale through the mouth before inhaling through the nose.  Your friend, will often mimic your actions and could discover their own bad breath "accidentally".  While this method is subtle, it is not as likely to work as other methods.  Still, it is worth a try if you are being sensative to your friend's feelings.

Another idea is to leave an anonymous gift of mints or breath spray on your friend's desk or in their vehicle. 

When all else fails, consider a third party, solution.  What...?  Yes, I said a third party solution.  Have someone else tell your friend about their bad breath.  It could be that bluntness on the part of someone who is not as close to your friend as yourself would not be as damaging to your friend's ego. 

A great way to do this is to send out a "virtual mint".  This website offers a service in which they will let your frien know about their issue while keeping your name out of it.  The bonus is they have bad breath remedies that work with a fantastic success rate.  If your friend takes the hint and purchases their bad breath products, your bad breath worries could be over.

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