Hello Moms,
My 14 year old son has always had some issues with a really sensitive gag reflex. He brushes his teeth, but a lot of the time his breath is still bad after. I try to get him to use a mouthwash but he hates all the flavors I've found. He doesn't like mint (although his toothpaste is mint flavored), he won't chew gum, in fact the only candy he'll eat is green apple Jolly Ranchers. Do you have any ideas of what I can get for him to help with the odor? (I'm trying to convince him that the girls will refuse to talk with him if he has bad breath!!!)
Thanks,
M.
Mint mouthwash tastes nasty after brushing with mint toothpaste to me. I use Listerine Vanilla Mint. Yummy!
Ditto the scraping the tongue. And floss.
But also, any chance he has post-nasal drip from allergies or something? That can contribute to bad smelling breath. Halitosis is from bacterial growth in the mouth (which flossing, and scraping the tongue can help with). But if he has sinus drainage, the floss and scraping won't do anything for smells that come from that.
Are you sure he doesn't have tonsil stones? I have those and I HATE them, there really isn't much you can do except try to get them out when you can see them. They smell horrible (like old man breath) and are uncomfortable, but no doctor will remove tonsils just for tonsil stones.
If it's just normal bad breath licking the back of his hand and smelling it is a good indicator, but if it's tonsil stones that won't always work. An oxygenated mouthwash is the best I've found for the tonsil stones, if I can get them out the mouthwash helps keep them at bay for awhile. I always have breath savers on me because I feel like I smell like one of those old guys whose breath you can smell from 4 feet away, I know it's not that bad, but it makes me self conscious and if your son has them this young maybe the doctors would consider removing the tonsils to save him a lifetime of pain in the butt.
What about that kid rinse that makes sure they brush everywhere?
Is he flossing? That will make a huge difference. He also should be brushing or scraping his tongue (they sell tongue scrapers). And if he's unconvinced, have him lick the back of his hand and sniff -- he'll get the message.
Therabreath by Dr Katz is great for getting rid of bad breath and AM breath as well. It is a lite mint flavor so it's pretty tolerable. Just don't get it on your clothes because it will bleach or lighten them. It has peroxide in it so it also seems to keep my teeth nice and white.
Good luck!
You can try the crest gum protection tooth paste. It could be his gums that are causing his halitosis. There is also the mouth wash called Smart Mouth. I know the Name! Its pricy but I like it better than the therabreath.
Does he see a dentist twice a year?Ask the dentist what is causing his bad breath it could be that he is a mouth breather,tooth decay abcessed teeth,lack of flossing,diabetic.Does he have allergies?Could be post nasal drip.There could be an underlying medical issue causing his bad breath,unless you know for sure there isn't and it's just lack of brushing due to sensitve gag reflex
