Bad Breath in Son

Hello. That must be a terrible experience for him. I would suggest having him brush is tongue and the roof of his mouth everyday. This will assist in removing the bateria and germs from the mouth. I would also suggest using the mouthwash first to rinse the mouth, then brush, then use mouth again. Let me know if this works.

I am no doctor but old school thinking when I was growing up is that its from his stomach meaning what is he eating and how many times he has bowel movements-(if gum disease or anything oral is ruled out). If he is eating high starch diet less grain and vegetables it may contribute to the increased candida collection in his body....just a thought hope it helps

this will probably sound crazy, but our household is part Chinese...and this works. His body might have an imbalance, and be too "hot". He can fix it by making sure he's getting enough sleep, drinking plenty of water, and eating his fruits and veg. Bok choy is delicious, and oranges are great for this. If all he eats are those things you listed, his body could definitely be too "hot".

Good luck!

Hi A.,
Your son's bad breath is probably not related to poor dental hygeine. I think it is a sinus/allergy problem and might be good for him to see and ENT Dr.
Just in case it is dental, I would ask, does he brush his tongue as part of his oral hygeine care? That would help regardless, but I do think it is an ENT issue.
M. - pediatric nurse

Hi A.. Have him brush with peroxide every day 3 times a day. Proxide is a miricle drug it is good for a lot of things. Yes that same two for one dollar peroxide from the 99 cents store. He can still use his toothpaste and mouth wash but the peroxide kills germs.

Also buy him a tongue scraper and use it every day. Its on his tongue that the bactaria is stored. You would see what would come off his tongue.

Third he should floss everyday. It's the left over food between his teeth and on his tongue that is causing bad breath

He might have post nasel drip or sinuses.

I agree with everyone who suggested you take him to the doctor. I have small crypts in my tonsils that fill up with food and other debris and that definitely causes bad breath. He may have something similar or, as others suggested, a sinus infection. Those definitely cause bad breath too.

The only thing I can think of is it has something to do with his sinuses. My daughter had chronic sinus infections and still has a chronic post nasal drip. Her breath was awful during this time. She ended up needing her adenoids and tonsils out and had sinus surgery on her left sinus.
The weird thing is the only symptoms of her infections were headaches, snorting and a cough. They would only see the infections on an x-ray. She did not have the typical green and yellow nose discharge because her adenoids were blocking anything from coming out of her nose.
Her breath was so bad you would hold your breath if she got close to your face. Now her breath is normal.
Good luck.

The moms on here have given excellent advise to you already. I just want to add that a friend of mine always has bad breath due to the medications she is taking for her conditions and she uses the Eclips gum to chew on. She says that gum works the best for her bad breath. Good luck to your son.
D. N.

Hi A.,
I've heard of this before because I have a sibling who went through something similar and one thing that the dentist said was that it was common in the fact that the bacteria in her mouth also prevents cavities. Here are two types of foods he can try small amounts of fresh parsly chew every other day because it is a natural breathe freshner. It also freshens the inside of the body. Lemon grass tea can be drank daily because lemon grass freshens and cleans the insides. It does not act like a diaretic. these things should help.

Hello,

Once any health issues have been ruled out I have two things that my son who is 13 and has braces does for his
PUBESCENT BREATH... LOL

I bought a WATERPIC... it has the straight tool and the tongue tool... My hygenist recommended putting a splash of listerine in the water resevour... works like a charm now we all use it ! The bacteria at the back part of the tongue are often overlooked.

Also, health food stores have various herbal drops and such that help.

My now 5 year old was having problems that we thought were contributed to recurring stomach viruses. The pediatrician asked me if his breath was always so bad and I told her "yes' even when I brush his teeth they were. She told me that was a classic case of reflux, something that had been getting worse and worse because it wasn't being diagnosed properly. Also everytime he burped, it would cause him to vomit, from the acidity in his stomach.

Dear A.,

Seeing that your son sees a dentist regularly, he cleans his teeth regularly, uses a mouth wash, etc., perhaps it would be advisable to see an ENT to see if he might be able to discover what it causing the bad breath. It is also possible that he could have a GI fungus that could be causing his problem, especially with the burping. Perhaps you can try eliminating products that contain yeast and see what happens, and there are a lot of hidden yeast products. I know - I've had a GI systemic yeast infection for 22 years. If he likes yogurt, you might try giving him a couple of servings a day, and maybe taking the supplement Acidophillus daily might help to get back the 'good bacteria' in his GI system. I would definitely see his physician and bring this problem to his attention.

I hope this is of some help to you. Good luck.

J. B.

I'm wondering if this problem started after his last dental appointment???? You said his teeth are ok...how are his gums?? Does he brush his tongue and the roof of his mouth as well? Does his dentist know your son has this problem?? Is he on any medications? Is he smoking?

Among the potatoes, noodles, soup, and pizza that he eats, is there enough Veggies, Meats, or Fish in this diet of his?? Does he take supplements?? Thinking maybe he is lacking in Vits and Minerals???

I would definitely take him to the dentist to question the cause of this problem...if all checks out well there, take your son to an MD to find the cause of the problem and what could be done about it besides masking it with chewing on mints and gum...

usu. bad breath is a sign of a stomach upset, unbeknownst to the person at times. it's also a sign of diet. look at what he's eating. the list you wrote was not very healthy. try some fruits and veggies. also buy a probiotic for him to take to get some good bacteria in his small intestinal lining, hence the stomach.
good luck

Hi A.,

I am a dental hygienist and have some experience in this dept. with my pts. Does your son use dental floss? I know you mentioned brushing, rinsing, reg. dental visits, but flossing is super important and definitely contribites to bad breath if not done daily---- bacteria, food particles, etc are left behind otherwise..no matter how well he brushes. The other suggestion is-- have you ever heard of a tongue scraper? (Not as scary as it sounds:) If not, it's an inexpensive T-shaped plastic device that you run over your tongue a few times after brushing--it helps to remove food/bacteria etc that get trapped on the surface of your tongue. You can find it down the toothpaste aisle. Good Luck!
H.

Bad breath can frequently come from something more serious than germs in the mouth. I would suggest taking him to the doctor, and seeing what blood tests he can get. (Maybe there is an underlying illness that needs to be treated!) It can also be an indicator of a food allergy. Perhaps get him a food allergy blood test? A doctor should have some ideas for you.

Good luck! I know your son must be so frustrated. Poor kid- that's rough at 13.

Does he brush his tongue ,That has a lot also to do with bad breath they even have Tongue scrapper out now & on the back of the tooth brush a tongue brush ..Hope this helps ...Mj

I have two suggestions have him brush his tongue. Sometimes there can be a build up on the tongue that can create bad breath. Also bad breath can also come from stomach issues maybe you can consult your doctor and see if that is a possibility. Good luck

It could be a stomach issue or a reflux problem. I would just ask the Dr.

Hi A.,

You didn't mention flossing...maybe this is too obvious but all the brushing in the world can't reach where dental floss can. If he isn't doing it already I'd encourage him to floss as often as he brushes.

Hi!
Have him checked for acid reflux - a simple pill once a day -will solve this problem. I feel terrible how stressed out he must feel.
Good wishes!
Celia

It could be coming from his stomach--he may have a condition that causes some of this problem. I market for a company who manufactures green nontoxic products that have their own patents; one of them is for breath control. As I said, it could be coming from his stomach.

Hi A.-
Your son's bad breath could be caused by a post nasal drip or other sinus related problems. You should speak to you pediatrician about it.

I use a tongue brush -- like an ice scraper for the very back of my tongue. That's where the bacteria hang out and aren't caught by the other tools. You can get them at CVS, etc for about $5. at first it can make you gag a little, but it's really not bad, and it works. Good luck. Kudos for being a caring, proactive mom!

A., have you specifically discussed the problem with your dentist? Also, I would discuss it with your son's regular doctor, sometimes there are health issues that could cause breath odor which aren't dental issues. I would be more concerned, to be honest, about his diet which doesn't sound like what a growing teen needs, sounds like he's eating mostly a bunch of starchy carbs.
Good luck.

Have his sinuses checked out. Post nasal drip can cause nasty hallatosis. (Bad breath.) Sometimes kids/adults get post nasal drip from allergies, bad sinus problems, colds, sinus infections etc.

Hi Alison,
sounds like you got a lot of good advice. I know how difficult it can be for this age, so once you insure all is fine with the doctor, you may want to try Trioral daily mouth wash to get him through the day. They sell this on QVC on air and on line. It has a nice minty taste - it leaves the mouth a little dry for the first few minutes, but it is amazing, leaving the breath still fresh til the next morning. It is pricier than store mouth washes, but lasts for months and mouths, with just a few squirst 2x a day. It really works without drying out the mouth. After a couple days, he most likely won't need the gum anymore. If you don't like it, you can return it within 30 days, no questions asked, full $ back. It is worth a try, and will make a world of difference. Good luck :)

I just looked up halitosis in my "Prescription for Nutritional Medicine" and there are a few reasons for bad breath other than poor dental hygiene, which include, nose or throat infection, post nasal drip, improper diet, indigestion, stress, and too much unfriendly bacteria in the colon. Suggestions for supplements include extra fiber, chlorophyll, vitamin C, Acidophilus, Garlic capsules, and zinc. Other recommendations are to chew a sprig of parsley after eating, eat a diet of mostly raw food, brush teeth and tongue after every meal (I really like my tongue scraper. You can also use a spoon.) If none of these suggestions work, he might want to get a thorough checkup to see if there is an underlying health problem.