We have all experienced a loved one, a friend or a co-worker having bad breath. The dilemma is how to tell these individuals about their condition without angering them, embarrassing them or making them defensive.

Diplomacy is always a good strategy.  A hint of breath freshener could be a good start.  For example if in person, you can offer the individual a stick of gum or some mint and use that action as an excuse to open up discussion about the subject.  You can say that you have become more self-conscious about your breath as sometimes you felt you were not aware of the possibility of having bad breath.  You can give a reason that one of your friends hinted you at one occasion after you had lunch that contained onions.  Hence, you can ask the individual if by any chance he/she had lunch with onions!  The blame of bad breath gets passed onto the “onion” while the opportunity for you has now opened up to recommend the individual to get his bad breath checked out and treated.

Another means of hinting someone about their bad breath is simply sending them a hint electronically to get their attention.  We have implemented the “Send a hint” function on our website specifically for this purpose.  Certain individuals will respond better to a subtle hint, in the privacy of their time and relate to the hint, therefore seeking professional assistance.

If all else fails and it is a matter of your relationship with the person or else… just come out and say it straight out!