“This is a sponsored post. I received LISTERINE® Brand products from Johnson & Johnson Consumer, Inc. as part of my participation in this project. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this post are my own.”
Marriage is all about intimacy and connecting with your spouse. That connection includes kissing and sex. I love kissing and I love kissing my husband but there were times that I would not allow him to kiss me. Nope, I’m not going to do it.
The only time my hubby couldn’t come up and kiss me is when he had been smoking. I hated the smell of cigarette smoke and I definitely didn’t like the taste of it. So if he wanted to smoke cigarettes he couldn’t kiss me. Some habits or things that you “always” have done can cause a disconnect in your marriage. Our mouth and breath says a lot about us. The health of your mouth has a substantial impact on how others, including your spouse, perceive and receive you.
When I was unable to kiss and connect with my husband, it did cause me to feel like he was choosing cigarettes over me plus I was very concerned for his health. See I know you think I’m being overly dramatic but I’m not.
I know the harm cigarettes can have on a person’s health. My dad has been a smoker my whole life and that’s over 40 years. My dad has health and oral issues associated with cigarette smoking. Hey, I know this post isn’t about my dad but it is about the smell cigarette smoke leaves on the breath and that smell kept my husband and I from being spontaneous with kissing.
A majority of Americans say it is common to avoid relationship-building gestures because of an unhealthy mouth, believing it is common for people with oral health issues to avoid smiling when talking to others (84%), being close to someone when talking (73%) and kissing/cuddling (72%).
Per this study, I was definitely part of the majority of Americans. When I knew he had been smoking I would avoid kissing him until he brushed his teeth and googled with Listerine.
Hey, there are some benefits of incorporating mouth rinse into a twice-daily oral care routine:
- More opportunities to kiss and be close
- Healthier gums
- More confidence
- Less stinky breath
I know we cannot change our spouse but we can definitely encourage them to do better with their health and do things that will enhance your relationship and not hurt it. So if you have a spouse that smokes and you hate the smell of cigarette smoke, encourage them to rinse with a therapeutic mouthwash, like LISTERINE® Antiseptic.
A few facts about oral health:
- Nearly all American adults over the age of 20 have had cavities at some point in their lives (91%) and one in four have untreated cavities (27%)
- Brushing your teeth alone misses 75% of your mouth, leaving millions of germs behind. Left untreated, these germs can lead to oral care issues such as plaque and gingivitis.
- More than 8 in 10 Americans feel oral health issues are embarrassing (85%), and more than 9 in 10 say that they feel better overall when their mouth feels clean (93%).
To learn more about the LISTERINE® Brand survey, click here.
Join me on Tuesday, Oct. 27, at 12 p.m. ET / 11 a.m. CT / 9 a.m. PT for a Twitter party with #Listerine. We will discuss oral health and also every tweet using the hashtag #Listerine will trigger a $10 donation to support Oral Health America’s Fall for Smiles campaign (October 1-December 1, 2015) to educate communities about the importance of proper oral care.
Gwenda Darby says
You wrote my story. I feel the same way about my husband’s smoking. It is not a smell that I like on his breath or clothes. I make sure that we don’t run out of listerine. I even keep a bottle in the truck for when we are out together. This man, I love him to life but sometimes he takes a smoke break during church and comes strolling back as if no one can smell that smoke topped with a sprinkling of cheap cologne.(shameful) It worries me, four of my father’s brothers died from cancer. I pray that it doesn’t take a health scare for him to stop smoking.
Still Dating My Spouse says
I definitely know about those smoke breaks when we were out. I hated that. Just like you said they come back in smelling of smoke & cologne. Lol