Telling someone that they have bad breath is not an easy thing to do, but it can be a very kind gesture towards a person who has no idea that they have a problem. Initially, expect the person to be embarrassed, and maybe even defensive. They may protest and respond that they don’t have a problem, and it is rude of you to point it out. But in the long run, telling someone that they have a problem with bad breath will help the individual who suffers from it.

The issue becomes how we go about breaking this news to someone. We can’t really judge our own breath very readily. It is simply hard to tell what our breath smells like, so many people have no idea that they have a problem.

Tact is important. Blurting out something along the lines of “Hey, your breath really stinks” would not be tactful or kind. Telling someone this way would likely evoke an angry or defensive response. You may try to approach this topic by gently telling the person that you need to discuss something with them, but don’t want to upset or offend them. This sort of disclaimer or warning before delivering the bad news about their offensive breath will be all that some people need. But, there are people who will still be annoyed.

Remember, their annoyance with you is really masking their embarrassment about the bad breath. Think about it! It is really awful when people tell us things about ourselves that may be embarrassing or humiliating. So it is really important to acknowledge that this may be a problem in communicating with the individual about his or her breath issues.

You might consider using email to tell someone about their bad breath, as that eliminates the face to face confrontation that many of us find so intimidating and difficult. Before writing that email, be sure to follow a few important rules. Never write anything that you wouldn’t want to be made public knowledge, because inevitably someone will forward your message. Never send a note that you would not want to see again in a few years. These things have a way of coming back. The written word does not carry the same tone of voice as the spoken word. Read and reread your email before sending it to make sure that the right amount of concern is expressed. You want the person you are telling to get the bad breath message without being offended. And with personal hygiene issues, jokes and sarcasm don’t generally come off right. Be careful.

Telling someone about bad breath is so difficult, that there are even online services now that will do it for you, allowing you to remain anonymous! However you choose to tell someone about his or her bad breath, it is an unsavory task that sometimes just has to be done. Be sure to use tact and treat the person respectfully. It is difficult news to accept.