Stinky Breath!

Hi E.,

My daughter had that for years, finally at age 10, we had her tonsils out and she has not had a problem since. It was bacteria building up, she constantly had sore throats and drainage. But once we had the tonsils out, she had been sick only once and is now almost 13, has sweet breath.
B. in Gilbert

My husband is a dentist so I asked him what he thought. He suggested flossing. He said maybe there is food between his teeth that isn't getting out. We have a 3 yo with tight front teeth that we have to floss.

Best wishes,

M.

My daughter was having this problem and come to find out she had Cryptic Tonsils, which is white bumps that are bacteria from food particles that attached to her tonsils, the only cure is to have the tonsils removed, her breath has been better since she has had her tonsils removed.
Good Luck

Not to alarm you, but sometimes that is connected with stomach or liver. I am sure it is nothing major. My son (9) has the same problem, and after 5+ years of doctor visits, x-rays, blood work, etc. we found out that he is very sensitive to gluten (flour products). It may be that your son just has a sensitivity to certain foods. Hope this helps.

He could have pockets in his tonsils that are trapping food. I had this problem as a kid and had my tonsils taken out as an adult. Have an ENT take a look and see.

It could also be a digestive issue - maybe he needs more enzymes to break down his food - so try yogurt with active acidophilius culture...just look on the label.

Also, elminate sugary foods, snacks and drinks which can cause an overgrowth of yeast.

When he brushes his teeth, have him scrape his tongue with a tongue scraper - 80% of the bacteria is on the tongue itself.

Best of luck!

I don't know if this is the problem, but I was told by my dentist one time that dry mouth is the cause of a lot of people's bad breath. See, I used to get sores in my mouth b/c of it, and I switch to a toothpaste named Biotene. I don't know if they make it for kids.
Directions: Adults and children 2 years of age and older: Brush teeth thoroughly, preferably after each meal or at least twice a day, or as directed by a dentist or doctor. To minimize swallowing for children under 6, use a pea-size amount and supervise brushing until good habits are established.
Children under 2 years ask a dentist or physician.
"And, without saliva teeth and gums become much more susceptible to harmful irritants and bacterial growth, a major cause of tooth decay, gum disease, infection, plaque build-up and bad breath." http://www.laclede.com/healthWatch/index.asp
Also, I just google "children bad breath" and it brought this up...
"Bad breath, or halitosis, can be a symptom of various conditions including: postnasal drip, dry mouth, dental problems, and sinusitis." http://dentalresource.org/topic48halitosis.htm
I hope this helps a little!

My mom once told me that if a kid had bad breath it could be that something is up their nose??

My daughter sometimes has the same problem. A few times it was when she was sick and it was the bacteria that caused it. Her dentist said to put a small amount of hydrogen peroxide in some water and have her gargle with it.

Hello E.,

This may sound a little off the wall but have you taken him to a pediatratrician? Sometimes little ones stick thinks up their noses (my son did this last week with a pee) and the parents don't have a clue that something is up there. The object starts to rot causing a horrible smell. This happens more often than you would think. Try and google this and you will see. Maybe that is what is wrong. Good luck.

My son also has this problem. I spoke to his dentist regarding the issue. He says it could have to do with allergies and the drainage from the nasal cavity.
It is important to keep them hydrated with water. I also use a kids mouthrinse and try to remember to clean his tounge with a tounge scraper. If all else fails, I have him chew some sugarless mint gum.
I also saw at Ultra some products for stink breath. It's a line of products geared towards this problem. I'm just unsure if it's okay for kids. They have rinses, scrapers, mints, special toothpastes, etc....
Best of luck.

My daughter has the same problem. My parents are convinced it's because she sleeps with a binky still but I'm not so sure. I brush her teeth 2 times a day and sometimes more and it doesn't seem to help. I called the dentist and they weren't worried about it at all. I think that it gets worse when she's getting sick and her tongue is funky colored a little bit, I'm thinking that is the culprit. I think I'll check out that tongue scraper some of the other mom's are talking about.

If you are really concerned about it, take him to the dentist and see what suggestions they have. Flossing might help. I heard those premade floss picks work best with kiddos. I'm also going to try that to see how that works.

I hope it works out for you!!!

My son gets like that from time to time and I think it is sinus related. When he is having bad sinus and allergy problems it seems to be much worse. I don't know a cure for it, but I'm interested in the responses you get.

L.

Dear E.,
My first child had undiagnosed acid reflux that manifested in many ways including bad breath, frequent ear infections and stuffy nose. You might look at that as a possibility.

My husband and I are convinced acid reflux is the undetected culprit in many childhood health problems; it's also incredibly easy to control once you know what you're dealing with.

best of luck,
P.

Hi E.!
It is common when one has an intestinal imbalance of bacteria for it to show in bad breath. I would address this by giving probiotics. Also, eliminate processed foods, trans fats, white flour products and limit sugar. A whole foods diet feeds the good bacteria in the gut and keeps them "in charge". I would recommend talking to your doctor about this to make sure that there are no other issues going on. If your doctor wants to look at the benefits of the Shaklee Optiflora (this is what I recommend) there is an MD Resource guide on this site www.shaklee.net/startahealthylife You can also find the Optiflora on this site. Yogurt is a good start, but make sure the label states that it has "live and active cultures". The problem with yogurt is that most of the beneficial bacteria is killed off during the digestion from the stomach acid. Optiflora (from Shaklee) is guaranteed to deliver the bacteria to the intestines, where it is needed. If you have any questions, please let me know! Good luck!
H. Gaitten

Bad breath is often caused by sinus problems or stomach problems. I would take him to the ped and have him checked to see if there is anything they need to take care like an infection or reflux. If not, you could try having him eat yogurt with active cultures everyday. They really help get your stomach and intestines balanced out, sometimes the amount of good bacteria vs. bad bacteria gets out of whack and this helps.

You may also want to check into his tonsils. I had horrible bad breath when I was in my early 20s and I did everything until the sun to stop it - brushed my teeth after every meal, used a tongue scrapper, flossed, used mouthwash, etc. It turns out my tonsils were abscessed and needed to be removed. After the surgery, voila! My bad breath was gone.

I don't want to scare you, but it's something to perhaps consider.

My x-husband had the same problem, and it turned out that it was the glands/tonsils that were the problem. He had his tonsils removed, and it fixed the problem. If you look in your son's throat, are his tonsils normal? swollen? or what they call kissing?

Here's another idea that might sound REALLY gross, but it's a true story (happened to one of my brothers when HE was around that age).

He had this favorite blanket, but it had a tear in it that my mother didn't know about, and (as kids do) he was picking his nose at night and wiping his boogies on this spot. Tried the dentist for his bad breath, and NOTHING seemed to work. She finally one day noticed him doing this and took him into the doctor thinking it might be sinus related. The doctor found a wad of blanket stuffing up his nose and basically infected. He pulled that out, Mom sewed up the blanket, and tried to get him to blow his nose before bed so that he wouldn't be tempted. Took about a week, but he was free of bad breath after that, and hasn't had that problem again.

Now, I'm not saying you have a torn blanket anywhere, but you might have your doctor check his nasal passages before you go on antibiotics or anything like that. Sometimes something simple is the answer. Good luck!

Hi E.,
I don't know if he is to young or not, but have you ever heard of a tounge scrapper? My dentist gave me one a couple of years ago. They are not painful to use, but they eliminate 99% of bad breath germs and gunk that sits on the back of your tounge. He told me that was the main cause of bad breath in adults. I would assume it is the same for children. Hope this helps. :o)

E.

Once my daughter had very stinky breath and come to find out she had something stuck up her nose. She was 2 1/2 when this happened. It was months of bad breath. Brushing the teeth and mouth wash lots of gum and I finally made my doctor check her out and they found it. We don't know what it was but it had been in there for a while. I was shocked that wasn't like her to stick things where they didn't belong. The doctor removed it and gave her some antibiotics for infection and never had a stink again.
Good Luck

Have you tried flossing his teeth?

My only response is that it could represent bowel problems as far as frequent movements needed. I would check with a naturopathic doctor. I'm confident they could test him and let you know what's going on. I'm a mom who likes to get to the source of a problem and not try to cover it up with bandages.

Mom - of four 14, 10, 8, 6 - reentering the work force after 12 1/2 yrs SAHM and homeschool educator 7 1/2 yrs

G.

Hi E.
My son is almost 4 and he also had bad breath and I bought him the tongue scraper and it does help.
www.janetesho.freelife.com

Hi....yes there is a problem. Take him to the Dr first and then the dentist after. My ped said a 2 year old wont have bad breath unless there is a problem. Usually it is a bacteria type infection.