14 Comments

1. whatotherway says:

   November 28, 2009 at 5:11 pm

   1) very carefully

   2) depends on what is causing the bad breath.

   It could be because of helico bacttorpylori.

   It could be because of an abscess.

   It could be because she doesn’t brush her teeth often enough.

   It could be because of smoking.

   Confront her and work out what the problem is.
2. VirtualElvis says:

   November 28, 2009 at 5:11 pm

   "Tic tac?"
3. Robert W says:

   November 28, 2009 at 5:11 pm

   Directly. If she will be upset, she is not THE GIRLFRIEND!
4. gen says:

   November 28, 2009 at 5:11 pm

   …..its pretty simple….just tell her that her breath stinks…yes at first it may be offensive to her…but she should be able to understand where your coming from.like me and my friend.she tells me when i have bad breath.and i have fixed this problem.lol.so just tell her.
5. Toni J. says:

   November 28, 2009 at 5:11 pm

   If you can’t just come right out and tell her, you probably should keep a lot of breath mints or gum on hand. Does she smoke? That funks a person’s breath fast. Also if she fails to clean her tongue when she brushes her teeth (you can tell if she skips that part if her tongue is white). Brushing the tongue or having it scraped is the best way to fight halitosis (the technical term for bad breath).

   Also, poor diet can give you bad breath, as can sickness.

   Perhaps you should "stumble" onto a website about oral hygiene and say something like, "huh, check this out: facts about bad breath…" you’re not outright accusing her, just showing her something interesting. If she doesn’t change her habits, then you have the green light to put it to her bluntly because having bad breath all the time is rude and completely unnecessary.
6. noellestjohn says:

   November 28, 2009 at 5:11 pm

   I’ve encountered this situation before.

   Step 1: Mention that you recently went to the dentist and they stressed the importance of regular flossing to avoid periodontal disease. (This is one cause of bad breath.) Mention that you brush and floss multiple times a day and ask them how often they do it — just to make sure you’re doing it enough. It’s a passive aggressive way to determine whether they’re just not brushing and flossing enough. It will also jumpstart their hygiene maintenance, if it’s lacking.

   Step 2: If they have a history of sinus infections or sinus problems, say something like, "You seem to have sinus problems a lot, you should go see a doctor about that just to make sure it’s nothing serious." (Another cause of bad breath is sinus infections.)

   Step 3: If the first 2 suggestions reap no positive results, keep gum handy and offer them a piece every time you see them. Eventually they’ll get the idea that 1, they need to brush their teeth more often, and 2, they just might have bad breath. (Warning: this suggestion could get expensive – LOL.)

   Step 4: Ask, "Wow, what did you eat, Doritos or onions?" Then they’ll ask you, "What? Does my breath smell bad?," then you can respond, "Heck yes! Take care of that right away!" If you do that everyday, they’ll get the idea. By day 3, you can shorten the question to "Doritos or onions?" and they’ll get the idea.

   Step 5: Just come right out and tell them that their breath is offensive on the regular and they might want to address the cause before it becomes a serious health issue. Bad breath can signal that there are bacteria where they don’t belong. Be sure to add, "I’m your friend because I’m telling you. I wouldn’t be a good friend if I didn’t! I’m trying to help you maintain your ’sexy’."

   If those don’t work – it’s time to move on to sweeter smelling pastures! LOL

   Good luck!