Bad breath is often a very awkward topic to bring up. Whether it’s the result of a strong-smelling meal or a condition like tooth decay, gum disease or tonsil stones, it can be embarrassing for the person whose breath smells. When faced with someone whose breath is less than fresh, it raises the question, do they know?
Our new survey at Affordable Dentures & Implants looks into Americans’ experiences with bad breath, including both how we respond when other people have bad breath, and how many of us have been told by others that our breath stinks. We surveyed 2000 people across the US to find out their experiences when it comes to this topic.
First off, we asked our survey respondents to tell us if they would tell someone their breath smelled, and if so, who?
We’re most likely to tell our partners that they have bad breath
86% of Americans said they would tell someone their breath stinks, and most people agreed that they would tell their partner, at 69%.
People were equally likely to tell a friend or family member, with 43% saying they would. Just under a quarter (24%) would tell a colleague, and 22% would tell anyone they know. 10% said they would even tell a stranger.
Only 11% said they would never tell anyone at all that their breath smelled.
Overall, men were more slightly likely to tell someone that their breath didn’t smell good, across all these categories. One of the biggest differences between men and women was that men were 7% more likely than women to tell a colleague that their breath smelled, at 28% compared to 21%. 45% of men would tell a friend, compared to 40% of women.
The region that was most likely to tell a stranger that their breath was smelly was the West (12%), followed very closely by the Midwest and the South (11%) - only 7% of people in the Northeast said they would do this.
25-24 year olds were the most likely to tell strangers their breath stank, with 14% saying they would.
Over two-thirds of Americans would be honest and direct about smelly breath
Our survey also asked how people would tell their partner, friend, colleague or family member that they had stinky breath, and the most popular answer by far was to just be honest and tell them directly, with 68% of people saying this.
Nearly a quarter would hint, by offering them a breath mint or chewing gum (24%). The other options were all far less popular - 3% would introduce the topic by saying ‘Sometimes my breath smells’ and then tell them. The same percentage would send a text later on to let them know. And a very rude 1% would make a face or cover their nose!
Repeating a pattern of men perhaps being a little more direct, 72% of men would just come right out and say it, compared to 64% of women. 27% of women would offer the person gum or a mint, compared to 21% of men.
The region most likely to offer someone gum was the Midwest, with 26% choosing this option - and the region where most people said they would just be honest if it was someone they know was the Northeast at 70%.
62% of us have told our partners at least once their breath stinks
We’ve already talked about whether people would tell their partner their breath is less than fresh, but let’s move on now to how many people actually have.
62% said they had done this at least once, overall. 25% of Americans have told their partner once or twice that their breath smelled bad, and 20% have a few times. 15% said they have told their partner multiple times. However, 38% of people said they’ve never done this.
Men were more likely than women to say they had never told their partner, at 29% compared to 36%, but otherwise their answers were very similar.
A quarter say a first date with someone whose breath smelled would go nowhere
We wanted to know how this sensitive topic affects dating, so we asked people if it would affect a first date with someone new if they showed up and had smelly breath - and 80% said yes, it would.
A full 25% of Americans said that they wouldn’t want to see their date again if this happened.
12% said they would cut the date short but would be open to seeing them again, and another 25% would offer them gum or a mint. 13% would tell them, and carry on the date. 16% said it wouldn’t affect their first date - and 4% went further and said they wouldn’t mind kissing someone whose breath smelled bad.
Men were slightly more likely to want to kiss a date with smelly breath, with 5% of men saying this compared to 2% of women.
The age group most likely to take a zero tolerance approach was 35-44 year olds, 30% of whom said bad breath would put them off ever seeing someone again.
Younger people and men are more likely to have been told they have bad breath
Overall, 62% of people said they have been given a heads up by someone that their breath didn’t smell good before.
For a third at 33%, it was their partner who broke the news - a much smaller percentage than those who said they had told their partner about their breath, which makes us wonder if there is some selective memory going on! For 25%, it was a family member. 19% had been told by a friend, and 5% had been told by a colleague - and the smallest percentage at 3% had been told by a stranger that their breath smelled.
Women were nearly 10% less likely to have been told by someone about their breath having an odor - 42% of women said this had never happened to them, compared to 33% of men. 38% of men had been told their breath smelled by a partner, with only 29% of women experiencing this. Men were nearly twice as likely to have been told by a friend, with 24% of men saying this had happened to them, compared to 13% of women.
Younger age groups were more likely to have been told by a friend that their breath could do with freshening up, with 26% of 18-24 year olds experiencing this.
The region most likely to have been told that they have bad breath was the West, where 66% of people said this has happened to them.
Conclusion
It seems that while this is a bit of a delicate topic, most people are willing to raise it with someone, and most of us have been given a heads up before about our breath. For people who are looking for a way to tell someone their breath doesn’t smell great, or if someone has told you that your breath smelled, we hope this survey reassures you that it’s a common issue! Often, it’s just a matter of running to the bathroom to quickly freshen up.
But bad breath can be a symptom of a number of oral health issues. If the odor doesn’t go away when you clean your teeth in the morning or after a meal, or comes back very quickly, we’d encourage you to make an appointment with your local dentist to make sure there’s no medical issue causing it. At Affordable Dentures & Implants, we want to help you to go ahead and smile, so get in touch with us today for compassionate and non-judgmental care.