Halitosis is nothing to joke around about. Not only does it make the people you talk to at work and in life want to vomit at the mere thought of communicating with you, it can literally kill you! Looking at the infographic on this page, you’ll note that at least 60 percent of people suffering from bad breath are also much more stressed than their minty fresh counterparts.

There’s no “U” in bad breath!

Now, you might be fine with elevated cortisol and the effects it has on your long term health, including high blood pressure, heart disease, weakened immune system, and the slow and steady destruction of your brain. However, you can bet your colleagues aren’t fine with it.

Let’s be real: It’s just really hard to connect with someone whose breath smells like a dog’s rear end or which reminds them of an agonizing trip to the garbage dumpster outside their apartment building!

Hey, they may like your personality, but there’s just only so much torture a human being can take before they start looking for ways to avoid you. Fact is, as detailed in the Bad Breath in the Office Infographic published by Jason L below, people will make a lot of assumptions about how you live your life, including your overall views on personal hygiene.

The most distressing part about having bad breath is that it’s extremely rare for the offending party to actually be aware of it – until that fateful and embarrassing day when a merciful, yet embittered sole finally tells you just how much pain you’re causing everyone around you!

How is bad breath caused?

Bad breath is usually very easy to define, caused by a breakdown of bacteria on your tongue and throat, and excess plaque accumulating on the teeth. Though 10% of people suffering from true halitosis may have little control over it due to poor saliva production in the mouth or health problems such as infections in the mouth and nasal region, diabetes and kidney disease.

Poor hygiene and diet is usually 90% of the root cause of rampant bad breath. The effects of poor dental hygiene are often obvious to both you and those around you, with evidence such as rotting, missing, or stained teeth. Diet also plays a role, as a diet high in animal-based proteins causes those proteins to putrefy in your gut and the release of sulfurous gases (usually out of both ends!)

Many bad breath sufferers brush and gargle mouthwash like mad, but don’t properly time their brushing and gargling practices. If you eat any of the offending foods and beverages listed in the infographic, yet reserve your brushing habits for morning and nighttime only, there’s a huge swath of time in-between where bad breath is alienating you from your peers and coworkers.

How bad breath impacts your career

This is an issue that really cannot be taken lightly if you’re seeking the ultimate success in your career. Ultimately, your career can be sidelined, and the only thing that can fix it, after attitudes about your detestable bad breath become ingrained, is to change employers and fix your bad breath problem.

Consider the ramifications:

• Relationship with management and coworkers will be strained, meaning you’ll have few advocates working for you come promotion time.
• People in the office will actively avoid you and whisper warnings under their “breath” to new people in the office, making you the office leper.
• If you’re unaware of the problem, you’re likely to perceive people avoiding you, or turning their head in disgust while you talk to them as unjustified judgment or rude ignorance, instead of a preventable problem that you’re responsible for.

If you’re working in industry sales or marketing, your bad breath can develop an international reach, creating a reputation that can never be lived down!

If you think you have bad breath, ask someone who loves you what they (truly) think.

Once you confirm you have bad breath, check out these fairly simple steps you can take to start fixing it right now.