How do you tell a co-worker they have bad breath?

Question

I have a very nice co-worker but her breath smells like..... Well there are no words for it.

Answer 1

Ask them

Have you been jogging behind a garbage truck with your mouth open?

Did you pass out and take a nap then a dog took a do-do in you mouth?

Have you been chewing Bo-Bolicious bubble gum?

Did something crawl in you mouth and die, then come back to life just to fart?

You know you have the stinkitist breath! I can smell it when we talk on the phone.

How about a scope cocktail?

That usually does it 4 me.

No seriously just tell them..Look I'm your friend till the end and I love you like a play cousin. Your breath stinks (or a little tart from what you ate or something) and I have some pointers. Thats what friends are for.

Help her out.

RJ

Answer 2

Tactfully and with love, if at all. I had bad breath for months because I had a bad tooth (the filling fell out, it was rotten to the core and ached constantly) and I had no dental coverage at the time. (Extracting a tooth costs well over $100. Once I had saved that up, I had to wait WEEKS for an appointment. Here in rural America, dentists are few...) I brushed several times a day, sucked breath mints constantly -- all to no avail. And I was VERY aware of the problem. Yes, I eventually got the tooth pulled. But unless you are volunteering to pay her dental costs if this should be turn out to be case, I would just grin and bear it.

Answer 3

Any way to leave her an annonymous note on her desk explaining the problem? After reading the note, if she asks you, you can tell her the truth and tell her that you never said anything because you didn't want to hurt her feelings. I had the same thing happen to me, but I couldn't leave her a note because it was just her and I in the office. Her breath was so bad that it literally made me nauseous. I would have to go out sometimes to get a breath of fresh air. Talking on the phone after she had been on was awful !!!

Answer 4

if you keep mints or gum with you ... take one out for yourself and offer them one... although we have tried this with one of our co-workers and it did not work.. maybe it's worth a shot.
I work in a pharmacy so I can tell you that sometimes certain medications can cause bad breath as well. So be sure and try and handle this in the most tactful way possible. Most people with bad breath know it... they just can't help it.
Good Luck with your smelly problem!

Answer 5

Who knows? Hopefully she is not saying the same about you. Sorry, but you never know. People can't tell how their own breath smells. Just stock up with mints and when necessary, ask her to take a few.

Answer 6

They might not be able to help it - for some people it's a condition. I think it really depends on how close of a relationship you have with this person.

Could you offer them gum or candy? Or use my husband's famous "got any gum?" and when you say "no" he raises his eyebrows at you and smiles.

When all else fails, keep a good but not obvious distance and breathe using your mouth; not your nose.

Good luck

Answer 7

Carry Trident gum or sugar-free mints. (Breath mints with sugar can sometimes make the problem worse.) Offer her a piece of gum, and then as you take one for yourself, say, "Sometimes my breath gets a little stale....thank goodness for gum!" You will not be criticizing her, but your words may encourage her to start carrying gum or brush her teeth more often after meals.

Answer 8

Well, I would walk up to them and look them in the eyes and say.."you have bad breath".

Or you could be politically correct and tell them they have a case a simple chronic hallitosis.

Answer 9

keep tic tacs with you at all times. when she's around take one for yourself and offer one to her as well. does she have bad teeth ? that would make her breath smell really bad.

Answer 10

yikes, that's awkward. Offer her a mint and try to keep your distance as much as possible. That's really all I can think of. If you approach her, she may feel attacked or embarrased. Good luck.