My nearly 18-month old son has had terrible bad breath for months. Some days it's worse than others. We brush his teeth thoroughly morning and night, and sometimes a 3rd time during the day. I get the tongue and roof of his mouth when he tolerates it, but I can only get about 1/2 of his tongue without gagging him. A month or so ago I called his doctor, and he said just continue to brush his teeth. But it's not getting better. So before I call the doc again, I thought I'd come here for any tips or pointers on how I can freshen his breath! We use a Colgate toddler toothbrush and Orajel training toothpaste. He drinks a lot of milk (loves it) but I cut it off about an hour before he goes to bed, and once his teeth are brushed he gets only water. (He doesn't drink much juice at all - doesn't often care for it.) He already has a history with sinus problems - he had a sinus infection last spring - and while he hasn't had any issues since beyond the standard cold, I know his sinuses could be the culprit. I am sure the smell comes from the back of his throat, because there's almost always a little lingering odor underneath the clean just-brushed smell. It's frustrating, because you can't just give a toddler a breath mint like you can yourself :) !
It may very well be coming from his sinuses or his tonsils. Sometimes there are crypts in the tonsils where food can accumulate. I would suggest taking his to an ENT MD for evaluation.
My 3 kids all had the same problem. I talked to the dentist about it and they said kids will have bad breath when they are getting new teeth or are about to lose teeth. It will pass just keep brushing.
If it was my child, I would try a chlorophyll supplement. I give this to both of my kids (18 mo. and 4 yr.)- 1 T/day in a cup of juice. Therapeutic Properties of Chlorophyll :
It purifies the blood and the organism, cleaning it of toxins.
Chlorophyll can help prevent cancer and is being used in cancer therapy.
It detoxifies the liver
It cleans the intestines
Helps combat anemia
It helps to rejuvenate and energize the body
Immune system stimulator
Is beneficial against sinusitis,
fluid buildup, and skin rashes
Normalizes blood pressure
It eliminate molds in the body
One of the principal function is combating bad odors, bad breath as well as body odor. This is due to the magnesium salts that it contains.
Chlorophyll is a naturally occurring substance in plants, so there is no concern about safety whatsoever. I get mine at a health foods store and it is a liquid, 100mg. pure chlorophyll. I hope this helps, and good luck!
S.
Maybe it's post nasal drip. Mucus has so much bacteria in it and it is smelly and you say he has had sinus issues so maybe that's it. Is he teething? Maybe an infection somewhere in his mouth? My daughter has good breath but her saliva stinks on her clothes. Kids have weird little things man.
Take him to his doctor and ask if it might be that he has an infection in his intestines or irritable bowl. My son did the same and still does as an adult every time he is about to have a bout with his irritable bowl syndrome. Good Luck
Hi, G.!
I wonder if you have tried talking with a dentist? My dentist on the north side has two teenagers and a long-time practice but, more importantly,he is willing to answer questions thoroughly. You may wish to at least give a call to Dr. Wilkin at ###-###-####. I've gone there for probably 20 years at least as have my two adult sons. (They don't go like they should but did when my insurance covered them! :)) Good luck. But I wonder if part of the problem isn't the milk. But do call.
S.
My daughter gets chronic recurring sinus infections (2 1/2 years old) and always has bad breath. It's from the mucus basically rotting inside of the sinus cavity. She had a sinus infection for 6 months last year (right at the 18 month mark), and after 3 rounds of antibiotics it finally cleared up. It was so deep in there that they couldn't see it. And they don't always get a fever with infections.
My neighbor's son had a sinus infection for 8 months before they found it. He went through everything from CT scans to allergy testing. In the end, it was s inus infection. poor kid had to flush his nose out with liquid antibiotics twice a day for two weeks.
I recommend taking your child to an ENT for an evaluation. They can see things that a regular pediatrician can not.
G.....Iam just in aw, that your peds Dr would just tell you to keep brushing your sons teeth! Usually bad breeth is 1 of 2 things. 1) A tooth problem or 2) An infection (even without a fever). He has had this problem for way to long and something is going on that needs treatment! Good Luck to your "little man" and to you finding out what is going on with your son.
Hi,
I have two sons, 4 and almost 3 year old. The oldest has the same problem. I had them both at the dentist for teeth cleaning and the dentist said there is nothing wrong with his teeth causing the bad breath. She said it might be something that sits deeper, like stomach, etc.
2 months ago at the pediatrician, I asked the same question and her answer was that it is probably his post nasal drip. She did not seem to be concerned at all.
I do not like the smell either, but I rather live with that then cutting him open for this matter so doctor's can make a quick buck. He is a healthy kid, so I just accept it to be as it is right now.
Good luck!
My son at times did also but I never really linked it to the fact he was a mouth breather and had elarged adenoids. He also snored loudly from tne time he was a baby and had frequent bouts of strep throat by the time he was 2. Our ENT said some babies are just born with enlarged adenoids. He had his tonsils and adenoids removed when he was 5 and that took care of the breath too. Don't know if that is his problem but take him to a good ENT to eval that and his sinuses
You can get Culturelle brand probiotics at Walgreens. It can't help and may help.
I know this may sound weird but make sure there is nothing stuck up his nose. When my sister was 3yrs old she had horrible breath and my mother couldn't figure out why. She ended up taking my sister to the doctor and they found toilet paper lodged all the way up her nose (she put it up there, unkowingly to my mother). Turns out that is what was causing the bad breath and after they removed the toilet paper it went away.
It sounds like a chronic sinus infection. I would take him to an E,N,T (ear, nose and throat) doctor so he can be checked out. And your pediatrician should be more knowledgeable about it rather than say just keep brushing.
Consult with a dentist. He could have been born with genetic dental issues.
Two things:
a) our pediatrician told us that to distinguish between a cold and a sinus infection, check the breath. Bad breath can equal a sinus infection (which you already know).
b) as far as tooth brushing goes... my 2 1/2 year old (before the holidays) was fighting me tooth and nail, pun intended, on toothbrushing. He seemed interested in the finger toothbrush that I had bought for his brother. After a month of me using the finger toothbrush on him, he has gradually started using his "big boy" toothbrush, again.
Good luck!
I have two thoughts off of the top of my head. One is the adenoids and tonsils thing. Two of my children had huge tonsils and "weepy" adenoids. They can cause a stink. Went to pediatric ENT for the oldest child for a tonsillctomy and the second one had to have an emergency tonsillectomy. The second thing that comes to mind is oral Candida. It is yeast growth in the back of the throat. 80% of the population walks around with an overgrowth of yeast in their body. I take a pro-biotic for this and it keeps it in check. Look it up on the internet and see if he fits the bill. Good luck to you.
This may sound odd, but have you ever considered giving him probiotics? Some kids develop sinus problems due to sensitivities to wheat or dairy. Some develop symptoms because of a yeast overgrowth in their bodies. A lot of times just adding probiotics (which is good bacteria - same thing as found in yogurt) can help immensely. It is totally safe and could help a lot. I like Shaklee because their products are totally natural, safe and effective. For example, I used to take store bought acidopholos and never noticed any differences. When I started Shaklee, I suddenly found that I was able to handle dairy for the first time in my life - I am lactose intolerant. The probiotics were helping me to digest dairy. The store bought stuff never made any difference like that for me. I was impressed and needless to say became a distributor. Let me know if you'd like more info. I definitely think it could help and couldn't hurt!
K.
It really isn't too early to get a check-up at a dentist..Hopefully I'm wrong.. But when my son had the problem (20 years ago), It was a lack of enamel on his little teeth. His teeth were rotting. At 2 he needed 4 caps put on and because of his age..and handicap ( he has Downs), he needed to undergo surgey for it.
The last word..He' came out of it demanding food , ate 4 hotdogs that day.. and is a happy young adult at this time. Still needs a good dentist..but we Love him !!
We have bad allergies in our family and both of my boys have bad breath when they're congested. I also noticed that their breath smells when they are teething. Good luck.
Hi G.!
My oldest (now 4)had bad breath also. He is a huge milk drinker, but good teeth brusher. Found out (like the other poster) he had enlarged adenoids and tonsils. Had them removed about 10m ago and the bad breath went away. We went to a pediatric ENT. Hope this helps!
I would take him in to have the sinuses evaluated again, that could definitely be the culprit as you suggested. Make sure they look thoroughly for a foreign object up there. When a kid puts something up their nose, the object can fester and cause an infection, then this causes the bad breath.
