Halitosis can ruin a holiday flight for everyone

Holiday air travelers often have a choice between two evils - window or middle seat, chicken or fish, full-body scan or patdown - but when it comes to bad breath on a long flight, everyone has to suffer. A poll of AOL Lemondrop readers determined that body odor and bad breath are two of the most irritating qualities in a fellow passenger.

Food breath - In-flight meals do not appear to be improving in quality these days, and neither does bad breath associated with them. Everything from preservatives to spicy sauce to savory ingredients like fish or garlic can leave breath smelling terrible. A plane’s recirculating air means your food breath may be more widely noticed than you would like.

Alcohol breath - The drinks offered on most flights can leave pungent chemicals like ethanol in the mouth. Drink even one, and your breath may practically leave the air shimmering with halitosis, like jet fuel on a tarmac.

Denture breath - This one was specifically commented on by a Lemondrop reader. If you have dentures, falling asleep with your mouth open may dry it out, allowing bacteria to get to work emitting odorous compounds.

Dry breath - Above all, your halitosis is likely to come from a dry mouth. So many staples of air flight can do it. Sleeping open-mouthed, drinking, eating a dry roll or popping a crumbly vitamin C tablet may lead to pungent breath that no one will appreciate. To neutralize those odors, consider purchasing a specialty breath freshener that can moisten your mouth and rid it of the sulfuric compounds associated with halitosis.