Bad Breath

LegacyUser

Whats a good way of hinting to my girlfriend about her breath?
Obviously its a hard topic to bring up but she could do with doing something about it as it can be very bad some-times.
Even if she just brushed her teeth

Beruthiel

straight out is the way to go

when was the last time you went to the dentist?
perhaps it's time for a checkup

or is it the food she eats?

jim_bob

yeah just tell her straigth out better than beating around the bush

just think if it was you, you would want her to tell you

Kali

don't go out with hippy chicks. problem solved.

Beëlzebooze

every now and then my GF had really bad breath. but it clears up after a couple of days. I have also noticed that other women (women I know socially, or work with) have the same symptoms, bad breath for a couple of days, and then normal again. The wierdest thing is, is that the bad breath always has the same rank odour, regardless of who it is.

Could it have anything to do with hormonal cycles?

The_Goose

good lord god another thing about women we dont know the list will never end!


but we could have the same thing and not notice cause we re smelly men!!!! aarrgghh!

LegacyUser

Originally posted by Beruthiel
straight out is the way to go

or is it the food she eats?

Don't think its the food she eats, and to be honest I think its just to do with lack of brushing teeth.
But how do I get that point across, rather then saying dentist?

Beruthiel

well, I tend to be very blunt on such things myself, nothing beats the straight out comment tbh, surely if she's your g/f you can say what's on your mind?

"honey, sometimes your breath smells a bit, do you think you could brush your teeth twice a day from now on?"

failing that - 50 packs of gum for christmas?

LegacyUser

Edit - ecksor

star gazer

did it take you that long to think up that one, damn?

K2

subtle hint: get her an electric toothbrush for christmas and a BIG tube of toothpaste:)

tinkerbell

One thing I can't understand is how people don't brush their teeth. I brush mine a couple of times a day!

The bad breath could be something to do with the gums, etc. It mightn't even be related to not brushing teeth - so she really should go to the dentist.

Your best bet is prolly jus say it straight out. But be gentle, assure her you are only concerned and tiz not an attack on her. Because she will get upset, but after a day or two, she'll realise that you were only trying to help her out.

Beëlzebooze

bad breath research

Cabaal

Originally posted by tinkerbell
One thing I can't understand is how people don't brush their teeth. I brush mine a couple of times a day!

I do the same, atleast twice a day
My mouth feels like crap otherwise.

...Because she will get upset, but after a day or two, she'll realise that you were only trying to help her out.

Agreed, its something thats fairly personal I think and want to be careful when wording it.

Capt'n Midnight

http://www.tau.ac.il/~melros/faq/25.html

Actually, according to ancient Jewish law, if a man marries a woman, and finds out after the marriage that her breath stinks, not only can he divorce her summarily, but he is exempt from fulfilling the terms of the marriage contract.
Though that might not be the best example

Try this "smell the back of your hand"
"now lick it, and then smell it again" - not diplomatic but at least it is resonably objective. (Note: try it on yourself first in case...)

DriftingRain

Does she take a herbal vitamin? Those can really make your breath stink for some reason.
She could have thrush....which is like a yeasty film that sticky to your gums, tongue, and cheeks...this can make your breath stink...
She could have gingivitis(spelt wrong..oh well). This is a gun detioration problem and will take awhile to clean up.
If I were you I would deff...start with small things like offering her a piece of gum or a mint. If after awhile if she still don't get the hint you will have to man up and figure out a gentle way to tell her aout her breath...But remember GENTLE...We girls get our feelings hurt easily ta know!

~DR~

blondie83

Just keep offering her mints. Don't make it really obvious, just something along the lines of "hey want a polo?", it helps if you're eating them at the same time, because then it seems like you're just being nice! If you keep doing this for about a week (pretend you're suddenly addicted to them), she will start to think about it, and start to wonder about her breath. It's the best way to solve the problem without actually insulting her, and insulting the girlfriend is never a good idea!

If you think she needs to brush her teeth, just make her go shopping with you, and when you get to the toothpaste place engage her in a long conversation about which would be the best to get and why, mentioning a few times how you love the fresh taste such and such a brand leaves in your mouth. If she won't go shopping just have the conversation at home!

Gordon

Introduce her to the ways of brushing one's tongue, this could solve part of the problem.
"Hey honey, check this out - someone told me that brushing your tongue is really good for your dental health!"

Also, remember that bad breath is a sign of many possible problems:
Constipation
Gum rotting
urmmmm tonsilitis...

So tell her that she could have a problem with her mouth as it smells like it has "destrumptionitis". Feel free to make up a word if you like.

DriftingRain

Feel free to make up a word if you like.

LOL

Cabaal

Originally posted by Gordon
Introduce her to the ways of brushing one's tongue, this could solve part of the problem.

Ok,
Am I the only one here that split themselfs laughing at the toothbrush advert with a "tongue brush" ?
I just thought to myself "God they'll do anything to sell stuff" everyone else around me just said it out loud instead.

LegacyUser

Not done anything yet, not got up the courage to say anything it to her yet
I just need to word this right

Barry Aldwell

Originally posted by Cabaal
I just thought to myself "God they'll do anything to sell stuff" everyone else around me just said it out loud instead.

"He's thinking what we're all saying!"

A tongue brush. My god, they'll try anything.

chucky_cheese

Yes, well the theory is that the bacteria that produce the sulphur compounds that cause bad breath thrive towards the back of the tongue. As vile as it may seem to many, it is recommended practise to brush the tongue also for this reason - particularly for those who are susceptible to bad breath.


I use the word susceptible as the fact is that some people are more likely to have bad breath than others. The bacteria that cause bad breath form part of the natural flora of the mouth - however, some people possess greater numbers of these bacteria than others. This may be because of:

Poor dental hygiene;
Gum Disease;
It may be a symptom of more serious problems related to vital organs such as liver, kidneys, etc.;
Digestive system;

...or it may be that a person demonstrates good oral hygiene and nevertheless has bad breath.

Bad breath can also be diet related - albeit that this will be temporary in nature ie. when one consumes foods which would typically cause bad breath, the bad breath will be evident only for a certain period after consuming said foodstuff.

It could also be attributable to the presence of the bacteria heliobacter pylori - you may want to suggest to her to get this checked out - a gp can setup a test for this via one of the hospitals.

Tonsilitis can also result in bad breath.

Some people may not salivate enough - which means that their mouths are dry - leading to bad breath. Or it may be that certain conditions eg. stress leads to a person having a dry mouth - leading to bad breath.

There is a lot of ignorance with regard to bad breath - both on the part of dentists and the general public. When i refer to dentists here, i mean that they dont actually have a global solution to this problem as yet.
Yes, poor dental hygiene accounts for a sizeable percentage of cases - but for many others, there is no solution.

Bad Breath is big business worth hundreds of millions - if you are concious of advertising related to this business (as i am) you will notice that they are playing on peoples fears. Although, i accept that it is naturally repulsive, there is a common view among ordinary people that anyone who has bad breath has bad personal hygiene habits/doesnt brush their teeth/eats garlic/doesnt go to their doctor/etc.

As regards the suggestion that you should drop hints, ok, maybe thats no harm - she may not be aware of it - and as someone has pointed out, its fact that one cant actually smell ones own breath. If shes had this for quite some time, she maybe more than aware of it..
And on the subject of mints/gums/alcohol based mouthwashes - please be aware that they only temporarily (im talkin about a couple of minutes here) paper over the problem and conseal it. In fact, alcohol based mouthwashes, which account for what the majority of you all use can disrupt the natural bacterial balance in the mouth and potentially cause bad breath in the long run. By its very nature, alcohol dries the mouth - providing perfect conditions for bb bacteria. Alcohol based mouthwashes have also been proven to cause cancer in young children. If you read this - whether you have bb or not - you should use a non-alcohol based mouthwash. One i could definitely recommend to you all is dentyl ph which Boots stock.

We all look for simple solutions to problems but solutions are not always so simple. Bad Breath is a debilitating disorder - it impacts socially and professionally and i hope that more work is done by the worlds of dentistry & medicine to prevent/treat it.

Tivoli

does she smoke, smokers are stinky

yeah dentist is the way to go, of she is working a few years she won't have to pay for a checkup

i got periodontitis , it's where gaps form between your gums and teeth, they are full of food, and i have little germs turning my last meal into poo as you read type this, luckily my bird doens't complain much,