Sometimes it can be hard to confront someone about a flaw that person has without hurting that person’s feelings. This goes for telling friends or loved ones about their halitosis problem.

There is a right and a wrong way to approach someone about any kind of problem, no matter what it is. Furthermore, no matter how you word the confrontation, some people are bound to be hurt by it and take it personally. However, if you use tact, you will be successful in getting your message across. Communication about your buddy or family member’s halitosis can be successful if thought is put into what you say.

There are certain things that you should keep in mind while confronting a friend or dear fellow. Always keep in mind the certain things that you should refrain from saying, no matter how direct your point be. Because as the saying goes, truth hurts. Therefore, watch your words before they come out. Keep the following list of things in mind:

* Your breath stinks!
* You stink.
* Your mouth stinks.
* When is the last time you brushed your teeth?
* Who taught you how to brush your teeth?
* Brushed your teeth lately?

The above statements in themselves are not necessarily bad to say to someone if you know they can handle that kind of direct confrontation. However, most people are extremely sensitive about physical flaws that could affect them socially. Sometimes a simple confrontation could be misconstrued as a verbal attack, or seem overtly sarcastic depending on the tone of voice a person uses. Therefore, tact should be used.

The following is a sample script you could possibly use to talk to a friend or loved one about halitosis:

Can I talk to you about something? (Wait for response: They may answer, “yes” “no” or “what?”)
Did you ever have a problem with halitosis? (Wait for response: They may ask you what halitosis is or answer “yes” or “no”).

Depending upon how the person responds to your question, you have a variety of ways to start the confrontation. If the person already knows about the halitosis condition, and is open to talking about it, this is the easiest scenario to deal with. Also, if the person is not sure what halitosis is, and is still open to learning about it, you will have an easy time talking to this person about it as well. Furthermore, as long as they are willing to talk about this condition, then you can proceed with your confrontation. If they are not willing to talk about it, then you are best leaving it alone, unless you know they are complaining to you about any pains in the
mouth or other serious dental problem.

Another aspect of using tact when confronting someone about an uncomfortable issue such as halitosis would be timing. If you can see that a person is unwilling to hear what you have to say, then perhaps that person would be willing to listen some other time. Another technique to use is to describe halitosis is if it was a medical condition, and not necessarily the fault of the person. This will alleviate the feeling of hopelessness, and blame on the person with the halitosis (a.k.a. bad breath) condition. Besides, halitosis is medically treated in some cases as well. You can tell this to your friend.

Most people will be embarrassed about the subject of halitosis, but they will be relieved once they find a solution. If you think you can help someone who has extreme chronic bad breath, then you can help that person recover. This will help you feel as if you made a difference in that person’s life. Furthermore, as embarrassing as this can be for the person with the halitosis condition, most likely in months to come that person will thank you for bringing the problem along with plausible solutions to that person’s attention.

Once you have established with the person you have chosen to confront about halitosis that it is a medical condition, then you can also gently tell them ideas that dentists give to people to help cure it at home. When doing so you can use the tone as if you are presenting home remedies, so to speak.

You may want to start off by making the statement that flossing is a pain in the neck and is something most people (yourself included, you should say) hate to do, and then explain how flossing helps reduce the chance of extreme bad breath known otherwise as halitosis. When you intervene in a person’s life in a way such as this you are likely to have helped that person out immensely.