If someone has bad breath, would you tell them?

It's really worrying that some people don't notice themselves.

I was on a college course recently where one individual seemed to singlehandedly erradicate any plans for socialising just by offering to turn up (presumably with the regular dose of body odour and breath gas).

We had all he classroom windows open right through December :(

I have gone for 'Depends On Who It Was'. If i had smelly breath i hope someone would tell me. I'd hate the idea of bad breath while talking to someone :gag:

If it was one of my mates id tell them and also give them so stick about it as i'm sure they'd do the same it was me. But then again it would'nt be me as i'm not dirty scruff some people need a good wesh!!!!!

I used to work with an older woman who I swear, must've had rotten tonsils. Her breath was that bad! Being very young, and not wanting to offend her (keep my job, heh) I never said a word.

She seemed oblivious to stepping closer to people...and having them take a step away. She never noticed the green cloud hovering over her desk, or co-workers faces turning red from holding their breath.

I never saw her chew gum, brush her teeth, (which I and others did every day after lunch) or eat a breath mint.

A couple years later, I ran into a girl who used to work there. I inquired about the lady with halitosis. She laughed and said someone had left an enormous bottle of mouthwash on her desk. (She was the office manager) As she hadn't seen who had done it, all she could do was fume about it.

Seriously though. A mouth that smelled THAT bad indicated some problems bigger than run of the mill bad breath. And the place where we worked? A medical office building housing several dentists and oral surgeons.

:) Sierra

Vidster I'm with you on this one, if I have bad breath I hope someone (preferably a friend) tells me!

Hubby has bad breath sometimes, and when I mentioned it a few weeks ago he really got the hump.

Quite often I say to him - do you want a breath freshner? And he knows what I really mean is - Please have a breath freshner!

If it's someone I don't know very well, i'd hesitate to say something, but if it was one of my close friends then I would say something.

A couple of years ago I worked for a senior manager who was vile, and had breath to match. :gag: I won't name he on here (she has a very unusual name, and possibly special evil powers so I'm playing safe!) but her nickname in the office was Valdemort! :D

Once in a managers meeting, she was sat next to the Director trying to sound intelligent and make herself look like she knew what she was talking about. The director turned to her and broke off her thread mid-flow to say 'Christ Valdemort, your breath stinks!', and then carried on talking as if nothing had happened.

I have never been so embarrassed for anyone in my life. I almost felt sorry for her :D

K x

I read something once in a medical magazine that if you have bad breath, you don't notice it yourself. It made me paranoid and I've used mouth wash and breath fresheners all the time ever since. It makes sense really, no-one in their right mind would want bad breath and would do something about it if they knew. I voted 'depends who it was'.

If it was someone I knew very well, I probably would mention it so they could do something about it. It might indicate a rotten tooth or something, so it'd be better for them in the long run to get the problem fixed.

If I didn't know them very well, I'd probably just try and keep my distance! :D

I remember one of my teachers at school had a terrible body odour problem. One day some kids left an antiperspirant-deodorant on his desk, hoping he'd get the message. Instead, the poor man just asked the class the next time he was teaching them if anyone had left their deodorant behind by mistake, and if so, to collect it from him! :o Oh dear.....

StarSparkle

I'd tell them, but use humour to soften the blow and not embarrass them, something like "Have you farted ? no ? it must be your breath then".

Originally posted by nick2
I'd tell them, but use humour to soften the blow and not embarrass them, something like "Have you farted ? no ? it must be your breath then".

I'm sure that would really soften the blow Nick.
But seriously, if you've got a breath problem a mint won't sort it. Make sure you get a decent tooth brush (something like a Sonicare), floss and use a mouthwash!

Originally posted by ReginaldD
If it was one of my mates id tell them and also give them so stick about it as i'm sure they'd do the same it was me. But then again it would'nt be me as i'm not dirty scruff some people need a good wesh!!!!!
There are many reasons for bad breath, and they are not all just personal hygene problems.
Very old people sometimes have pooh smells leaking back up their digestion and out of their mouths.
People who smoke lots of cheap fags smell of wee. I have known several L&B smokers like this!!:gag:
And garlic smells terrible for a day after.

How often do you floss your teeth and scrape your tongue.?
You are supposed to floss every day, and in some countries many people have plastic tongue scrapers, to maintain good oral hygene.

Let he who is without sin cast the first stone!:P

I'm not sure I either could or would raise it with a colleague - I'd be far too scared that there may be an 'issue' that they cannot do anything about and are desperately embarrassed over. I've had more than my fair share of colleagues with bad breath, and I just make sure I'm not positioned where I can get a whiff of it.

You can tell if your breath is bad by licking your wrist apparently. Sniff it when it's dried and if there's a smell then you probably have halitosis. Long term bad breath is usaually caused by either dental or intestinal problems.

Dental problems usually result from not visiting the dentist every few months (who will tell you if you have a problem), and such things as Gingivitis (very common indeed). Brushing the gums as well as the teeth helps, as does lightly brushing the tongue as far as you can go without gagging (hehe) .

Intestinal problems can be caused by diseases and medical conditions or simply by diet. Too much protein is the usual culprit for bad breath, so common among fitness fans and dieters. You can usually tell if it is this as breath smells like rotten manure or dog faeces, and you can even smell it when the person has their mouth closed, but they are unlikely ever to know as the smell is not coming from their mouth but from their digestive system. :gag:

Just slightly off the subject but worth a mention.....I once worked in a hotel wher the restaurant manager had a BO problem and although everyone was talking about it no-one said anything to them.

Along came the staff party, and although I was supposed to be sober sister and keep the 'yung uns' behaving themselves I got completely plastered. The RM, who I like as a person, then proceeded to come over to me and sit and talk and at that point my mouth took over from my brain.

What I ment and should have said was ''are you allergic to deodorant cause a friend of mine was and he took ages to find one but **** is very ggod if you are'' what I actually said was '' are you allergic to deodorant... '' cause someone caught my attention. Slight short attention span I am afraid. :rolleyes:

I did not do it to be nasty but it just came out the wrong way..... alcohol can fuel some bad debates.

I has very sarcastic comment made for about two months after (which I deserved as I should have done this sober) and as I tried to explain the situation got worse...... So the moral or my story is ... Bertie749 keep you big mouth shut!!:(

I'd depend, If it was someone I felt would appreciate them telling them ie a close friend the yes I would, but with a degree of tact. Not "Oi! (insert name here) Have you been using dog sh*t for toothpaste?"

If it was someone I really didn't like I'd purposely not tell them and let them walk about with rank death breath :gag: