Her Retainer REEKS!

My friend has a retainer and it stinks! I wonder if she even cleans it. I don’t want to be mean and tell her or for her to get mad. What should I do? I need help.


Yikes! That’s a sticky sitch, girl. Telling someone his or her breath is less than fresh is never glamorous. Trust me, I’ve been in the same situation and it never gets easier. The key to handling this dilemma is to do it with class...that way, no one’s feelings get hurt.


Whatever you do, you don’t want to come right out and tell your friend, “Hey girl, your breath REEKS!” It’s an easy way to lose a friend, but it’s also very rude. After lunch, you could offer your friend a piece of gum or a mint. It’s a subtle hint and as long as you offer some to everyone else, she’ll never catch on. Hopefully, she takes the bait. If not, then you may need to take some more drastic measures.


Instead of calling her out on her not-so-minty mouth in public, pull her aside in private. The best way to do this is to say something like, “OMG, retainers are so annoying, especially when you have to clean them!” If she agrees, then ask her how she cleans her and offer her some of your best tricks for cleaning your retainer (i.e. brushing, soaking it in mouthwash, etc.). This way, she doesn’t feel as though you’re directly targeting her.


No matter how you approach your friend, you obviously don’t want to hurt her feelings. But if she just can’t take a hint, you could say, “Hey, I’m telling you this as your friend, because I don’t want anyone to tease you about it, but I think you might have something stuck in your retainer, it smells kinda funny. I’d totally want someone to tell me.” She’ll appreciate your honesty and more than likely she won’t get mad. Best of luck, chica!


Lots of love,
L’Oreal


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5/6/2009 7:00:00 AM
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