ANSWERS: 6
  • Buy them a dentist voucher for their birthday and then a toothbrush with lots of toothpaste for Easter.
  • That's a tough situation... maybe casually leave some dental brochures around and then start working in questions about dental insurance, like can they help explain what the policy covers and doesn't cover. Good luck.
  • The main thing I would worry about is the putrid breath and the broken teeth. They no doubt have gone rotten and that's what's causing the smell. They probably can't afford to go to the dentist or are frightened of seeing the dentist. See if you can find out which one is true. If they are short of money, you could offer to lend them some to get the broken teeth extracted (probably too late to do anything else). If they are terrified of the dentist, you could go with them for moral support. Having rotten teeth causes many health problems so impress upon them that they could get heart problems or gastric disorders from all the muck they are swallowing from their bad teeth.
  • Next time you go to the dentist yourself, you could comment about how much you like your dentist. Then ask them who their dentist is. They probably won't have one, but this could open a natural sounding conversation without seeming forced.
  • My guess is that someone in that condition either can't afford a dentist or is pathologically afraid of the dentist. I'm sure they know they have a problem. It is staring back at them out of the mirror. Being told you need to fix something when you can't doesn't help. If you really need to say something, maybe you could offer to pay for it.
  • One way would be to open a package of mints, place one in your mouth and say, "Hey, you want one?" A more effective way would be to forget the tact and just be straight with this person. I had to be straight with a roommate recently. I said, "You need to do something about your feet." He said, "What's wrong with them." I said, "They stink." He said, "Well, that really sucks, doesn't it." I said, "Yes, it does." He was a bit rude, but he got the point.

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