A wife is concerned about how to tell her husband that he has the worst breath because he is very sensitive. She wants advice on how to tell him in a way that won’t hurt his feelings.
A Community Member writes in and asks:
“My husband’s breath is horrible: How can I tell him?
I love my husband so much, and he really is the most amazing man. That being said, he has the worst breath on the planet. He brushes his teeth once a day, and on days he doesn’t have to work, he sometimes forgets. He is so sensitive though I’m scared of hurting his feelings. But oh my God y’all, it smells like something crawled in his mouth and died. HE IS SO SENSITIVE THOUGH. One morning I asked him to “breathe the other way,” and his feelings got hurt. How do I kindly tell him that he is killing me?! Lol.”
– Mamas Uncut Community Member
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Community Advice For This Wife Asking For Advice on How to Tell Her Husband He Has Bad Breath
Advice Summary
Most of the community advice can be summed up as follows: be honest and help him correct it. Also, consider that there might be a medical condition for his bad breath.
“My husband was the same … I was honest with him because I would hope he’d do the same for me. Turns out he had a cavity that was never taken care of which eventually caused him to chip that tooth. Once he went in to repair it, the smell went away. I did buy a Waterpik when I was originally at my wit’s end for the ‘family’ and its a great tool we all use because we all have tight spaces in our family that lead to bad breath.”
“When I was little I had chronic halitosis and it was caused by my tonsils. My tonsils were literally dead and rotting in my throat. They removed my tonsils and the dead tissue from the surrounding area and gave me some heavy antibiotics. It could be a medical issue causing it. So maybe instead of approaching it as your breath is nasty. Maybe say babe I’m concerned about your health and well being and go from there. It would be a lot less offensive and shows that you care. Like others have said it could be a dental issue also but approaching the issue from a place of concern rather than hygiene may help.”
“Buy him smart mouth wash. Use it in the morning and before bed trust me it’s the best.”
“Smart mouth wash is great! I, unfortunately, I have the same problem due to the condition of having a dry mouth. He may have it also, no matter how many times I brush my teeth it still would smell. Fortunately, there are special products out there for dry mouth that helps, smart mouth wash is one of them!”
“Extremely foul breath is usually indicative of other issues, specifically gut health.”
Final Thoughts
When I first read this question, I had to chuckle because as a child I was teased incessantly about my bad breath. When I got older I realized that it was due to issues with my stomach, which was mentioned in the comments. It is important to note that issues with bad breath don’t always come from bad oral hygiene. Many times it can be caused by infections in the mouth/throat and stomach conditions. It was mentioned a few times about a special mouthwash that the entire family can use. This can make it easier to solve the problem without necessarily mentioning anything. Personally, when I focused on eating healthier and taking probiotics this did in fact help. All the suggestions are worth trying. It can be hard to tell someone we love something that might hurt them but many times it can turn out better than we expected.
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