How Do I Tell My Girlfriend She Has Serious Bad Breath?

If a loved one or someone really close to you has bad breath, what's the best way to deal with it? Everybody has had bad breath at one time or another. So there's probably a pretty good chance that someone you know or even someone you're intimate with will have halitosis (the medical term for bad breath). If you're the one who has bad breath, it can be really embarrassing. If you're the one who notices the bad breath, it can be almost disgusting. So as you can see, there is a potential for a really bad situation if you or your partner has bad breath.

First of all, you're going to need to figure out if your girlfriend's bad breath is something temporary or if it's a permanent feature. Occasional bad breath, also called transient bad breath, can usually be traced to something recently eaten. If you're the one who took your girlfriend to the Italian restaurant and ordered garlic bread, then there's really no point in mentioning the bad breath at all. It will most likely be gone tomorrow. Chronic bad breath -- halitosis that never really seems to go away -- is something else entirely.

What causes bad breath anyway? It all has to do with the growth of bacteria. You see, your mouth provides a perfect environment for the growth of bacteria. It's warm from our body heat, it's moist because of our saliva, and food passes through on a regular basis. The soft but rough surface of our tongue provides an excellent place for bacteria to hide and grow. As bacteria multiply they produce sulfur, and sulfur usually smells awful.

So far this is not very encouraging. If your girlfriend has bad breath, it means her mouth is filled with bacteria. That's just wonderful!

The good news is that chronic halitosis can normally be easily cured by a dose of good oral hygiene. Brushing after every meal will help to remove any bits of food that might remain after eating. Flossing at least once a day will help prevent the buildup of plaque. Plaque between your teeth is another rough surface that provides good places for the growth of bacteria. A trip to the dentist for professional cleaning should be done twice a year.

Up till now we've successfully avoided actually answering the question. How do I tell my girlfriend she has serious bad breath? Most people seem to agree that it's best to just tell her. You can be honest without being mean. Don't try to just endure for as long as possible. The longer you wait to bring it up, the more embarrassing it's likely to be. If you can manage to tell her in just the right way, she'll probably appreciate the fact that you told her.

Actually, there's every chance that it has nothing to do with her personal oral hygiene. Some other conditions are also capable of causing bad breath. There's a condition called xerostomia, which is a medical term for dry mouth. This condition often occurs as a side effect of some medications, especially asthma and bronchitis medications. We need our saliva to help wash away bits of food. Saliva also has some antibacterial properties. So when we have a consistently dry mouth, it often results in halitosis.

Drinking lots of water can also help with bad breath. Try to drink at least 64 ounces a day, and offer some to your girlfriend every time you have a drink. Water can help you from becoming dehydrated and also helps to wash your mouth.

Your girlfriend wouldn't happen to be on the Atkins diet, would she? Being on a low-carb or no carb diet encourages the metabolism of fats in the body, which also produces ketones. That might result in ketone breath. If this is the problem, then offer your girlfriend some carbs and tell her you love her just like she is.

If you just don't have the guts to tell her, then offer her some herbal tea and some yogurt. Yogurt introduces good bacteria into your mouth to compete with the bad bacteria. In fact, studies show that if you eat plain live yogurt for six weeks, you can reduce levels of oral bacteria by 80%.

Ultimately, you need to treat all your loved ones with respect. If they have a problem, like halitosis, that they are unaware of, they'll probably appreciate knowing about it. Ask yourself how you would want to be treated, and then act accordingly.