Seeking Advice on My 6Yr Olds Bad Breath Concerns

This may sound odd, but I would cut out milk. Milk will not only irritate her allergies, being a food that promotes mucus production, but it also coats the mouth and throat. I would encourage her to drink lots of water to help keep herself hydrated and will also help with allergy symptoms. It will also help keep the mouth moist and clean. You might also try cutting back on food made with white flour and yeast.
Hope this helps.
Good Luck
B.

One of my children would periodically have bad breath. I began paying closer attention to his diet and his digestive system. I found that when he ate more natural foods and went to the restroom regularly his breath was just great. Also, he loved dairy products especially cheese and milk so I made sure to give him appropriate portions that were spread out in his meals otherwise he would'nt digest it properly. Good Luck!

Hi C.! I hear your concern for your daughter's bad breath. My understanding is that bad breath is often times associated with poor digestion. Is she constipated? You had mentioned allergies and the first thing that popped into my head is dairy. Oftentimes, the child or adult with chronic halitosis is intolerant to dairy and cannot break it down, so it will remain in the gut undigested and fermenting. I would recommend taking her off of dairy for a while, and have her drink lots of water. An apple a day if she is constipated. Otherwise try chlorophyll supplements. You can get "Chloroxygen" at Whole Foods or central market. Chlorophyll is natures natural internal deodorant. Just put a few drops in her water bottle! Good luck!

On one Oprah show there was a recommended item for allergies called a Neti Pot. You fill with lukewarm salty water and then pour into one nostril and drain out of the other. I haven't found one yet but they said health food stores carry it. There were people on the show that shared their experience with the pot and were quite pleased.

C.,
Allergies can cause strong breath. Irrigation of the nasal cavity is difficult but can clear out the drainage. Ask your allergist about it.
Try flossing Sara's teeth if you haven't already done so. Food get trapped between the teeth and is not noticable but can cause bad breath. You may ask Sara if she has any sort of bad taste in her mouth when you floss. If she does, then that probably your source.
Also, if she still has her tonsils, food particles can become trapped in the opening of the tonsil. You can depress the tonsil with a q-tip and it should come out. Or perhaps you can have her pediatrian take a look.
I am a very seasoned mother of adult children and the oldest of 8 children, so I have been around a while.
Hope this helps.
D.

Hi, C.. Here's an idea that might help you out with the symptoms until an appropriate diagnosis is found. I remember there was a product advertised on TV some time back that you can pick up at any local drugstore. It was a pill, I believe, that you take at the start of the day. It claimed to alleviate all bad breath throughout the day. So sorry, I can not remember the name of it! If you are open to your daughter taking a pill for a bad-breath-antidote, you might speak to a local pharmacy and see what are the latest products to address this issue, and also ask is it safe for children to take.

Once in awhile bad breath occurs due to a medical problem. Usually nothing serious, only bothersome, a pediatrician should still be seen.

i don't get the bad breath thing either... we brush and mouthwash too. i would definitely say go to the dentist if you haven't alrady, because bad breath can be a sign of decay, yikes!!

This one brought back memories. My son when he was that age also had this problem and we couldn't for the life of us figure out what it was. He too, like one other reader talked about with the bean, had shoved newspaper up his nose and didn't ever tell us. once the doctor pulled it out the smell was gone forever. We just couldn't understand why he was stuffy and dischargy all the time and he too had allergies Not saying your daughter did this but worth looking into. It could just be an allergy thing but I would look into all angles.

Is your daughter's drainage primarily from one nostril? If so, she may have some sort of blockage in her nose. This happened to my son, and when we took him to the doctor, we discovered that he had paper up his nose! The pediatrician said this is not uncommon, but it certainly was for us. It was easily remedied, but before that, he had powerfully bad breath.

It may be some kind of infection. You may need to check your childs tonsills and adnodes.

Could be a sinus infection. That causes bad breath. Have the doctor check her out and give antibiotics if that is the case.

Diabetes can cause bad breath also, but there are other signs to look for also. Again check with your doctor.

Sour/upset stomach could also be the case. But not likely if she has it everyday, but still could be a possiblity. A little medicine like children's mylanta could help with that.

I heard this from the "mouth doctor" on the radio and it does work. Do not ever use a mouthwash that has alcohol in it -as this will dry the mouth and one of the main causes of bad breath is dry mouth. A dry mouth produces a "sulfer-like" substance and smell. Give you daughter lots of fluids throughout the day and skip the mouthwash. Continue brushing after meals. This should take care of your problem. :)

It could be acid stomach. Try some antacid and cut down on acidic foods like tomatoes and such. Hope that helps!
:)

When I was little I used to get "tonsil stones". It is basically where food gets trapped in the tonsils. Bacteria builds and causes really bad breath. They are easily cleaned out but smell quite bad.

I have outgrown this, but its worth talking to an Ear, Nose and Throat Dr.

Here is a link telling more about it (it's VERY common):
http://www.doctorhoffman.com/xlith.htm

My Mam-Maw told me a story about my dad when he was little. (I'm not sure how old he was.) He had bad breath and she could not figure out why. She finally discovered that he had pushed a pinto bean up his nose and it had started to sprout. Just something to consider.

My 5yr nephew had the same problem. After several months with problem it was finally diagnosed as an infection on the tonsils. Odor gone.

hmmmmm. Good question. Does she seem to have any cavaties? She might have some you aren't able to see. They can really cause bad breath, despite frequent brushings. Sorry I couldn't be more help.
~N.~

Use smart mouth brands. Get it at Walmart. Also, use Listerine. Brush tongue well with listerine too. Have her gargle. Eat more apples. We do this and it works. Milk gives bad breath. So does sugars. The sugars ferment in stomach causing bad breath.

If this doesn't work. Take her to the doc.

My daughter had the same problem with bad breath and no matter how much she brushed it did not help. She had strep throat very often and also mono several times. They removed her tonsils and has not had a problem since. The doctor said her tonsils were rotting. Also if you are using mouth rinse with alcohol this can dry out her mouth which can cause bad breath.

Maybe this is common for that age cause my son had that same problem when he was 6. When I took him for his routine checkup at the dentist I asked about it and she said to brush his tongue as far back as possible. She said it helps but may not help completely. Well, we started doing that, sometimes he would gag a little but I think it helped alot. He doesn't have that problem anymore, thank goodness.
You may want to give that a try... even though you said you're already brushing the tongue, try going further back on the tongue. Won't hurt anyway! Good luck!

Definitely take her to the dentist! I just spent well over $1,000 on my son's teeth. He brushes regularly, but we didn't floss regularly. His baby teeth were very decayed. And according to his pediodontist, baby teeth go alot faster than permanent ones. After all of the work, his mouth smells much better. He also has allergies, etc - so that was not the source of the odor...
Floss, floss, floss.

Bad breath with my older son almost always indicates an ear infection. I've heard it can also indicate a sinus or throat infection. Since she has been having drainage this could be the cause. It can't hurt to have her checked out!!

Good luck!

When our son was about 2 years old he had a spell with very bad breath. We tried everything...a friend suggested we look in his nose & sure enough he had stuck a small piece of foam rubber up his nose. When we removed it the bad breath went away immediately. Hope this helps!

look into the acid/alkaline dietary restrictions

Skip the mouthwash. A previous writer explained it well. Focus on the sinus issues. A neti pot could be the complete solution. You'll find one at any health food store. It completely cleanses the sinuses. My 4 year old does it w/out a problem. If she refuses, use a saline nasal spray to keep her nasal passages wet and keep the sinuses draining. You need to get the mucous out to take care of the breath. Naturade makes a great OTC med that I have had alot of success with. You can find it at health food stores and alot of HEBs. Naturade Expectorant is the name. It has guaifenasen, the ingredient in Mucinex, plus herbs which promote the thinning and drainage of mucous. Cut all foods which promote mucous production, the biggest which are dairy, wheat, and eggs. Congestion is not a normal state for any body, so if it continues to be a problem, hit the computer to learn about allergies and what you can do to eliminate them. Others have already given good advice about the teeth that I agree with.

C.~My daughter had the same situation. She always had sore throats, but never tested positive for strep. To this day, I think she had allergies. I brushed her teeth, flossed, washed her face, put cologne on her (!), but she always had bad breath. When she was 17 yrs. old, the pediatrician sent her to an ENT, Dr. John Moore, in Plano. He took one look into her mouth and said that her tonsils had to come out. He said that they were scarred and bacteria was building up on the tonsils and behind them. When he pointed out the spots of accumulation, they looked like cottage cheese. You could actually knock them off. He also told me that these deposits fall off and are swallowed. My daughter always had upset stomach issues as well, which were probably caused by the bacteria. She has her tonsils out at 18 yrs. of age, and she has never had that odor again. Several months after her surgery, I saw an article in the Dallas Morning News about this condition. I know that when I was growing up, if you had chronic sore throats, the pediatricians automatically removed your tonsils (I was an Army brat). I know that by the time my daughter was 4 or 5, when I would ask about removing her tonsils, the doctors told me that they don't automatically remove them anymore. I would see an ENT if possible. I wish I would have pushed the issue when my daughter was younger! I know that she was very embarassed for a long time. Good Luck!

Using a water pick before brushing her teeth will dislodge any small food items that may be stuck. If the dentist recommends flossing at her age, that can go a long way toward controlling bad breath.

Have you taken her to the pediatrician yet? Not to be alarmist, because it is likely from post nasal drip, but bad breath can also indicate other health issues.

C.,
Try the healthfood store. Sometimes acidophilus is the answer (the good stuff in unsweet yogurt). And it might be that she needs enzymes to help break up the mucus in her stomach. They should have products just for children that you can try. Best wishes on finding a solution!!

I hate to say it but, have your daughter tested for diabetes as one of the signs of the disease is bad breath.

C.,
I commend you for trying to keep your daughter's self esteem in tact. I am no expert on this, but what may help your daughter's breath issue is 2 things. First, try using some Nasal Saline (the brand name is Ocean drops) but target and walmart sell their store brand and it is just the same but less expensive. This will help her with her allergies and the drainage to dilute the secretions. I would also recommend having her checked by your pediatrician, and even go so far as either an Ear/Nose/Throat doctor or allergist. It is common for allergy sufferers of all ages to have a sinus infection and not even know it. This could be the source of her bad breath. Since it is generally uncommon for children to have periodontal disease at this age it is safe to say that the issue is not dental.

if you already have not done so, take her to the dentist and also to the doctor to make sure there is no underlying illness

Has your daughter seen her pediatrician about this? Sounds to me as though there's an underlying infection that needs treatment.

Cathy

Hello C.. I am a dental hygienist currently working for a general dentist. However, I worked for a pediatric dentist for 1.5 years. Your daughter is most definitely having issues with the drainage. It is very common for adults and children with allergies. You are doing everything correctly with brushing teeth and tongue 2x daily. It will resolve when her allergies subside.

sounds like she may need antibotics. My 5 yr old is on them right now for the same thing. The sinus drainage gets infected and makes their breath stink!

I would take her to the doctor and check out if she has anything gastral going on. She may have acid reflux.

My cousin has a similar problem, and has had for many years, she went to an Eye/Ear/Nose specialist and they were able to diagnose and correct her problem. I would suggest seeking the aid of a Dr. before trying self-medication.
Good luck.

I have always heard that drinking plenty of water will help to combat bad breath, especially if too much juice or soda is being drunk(drank?). You may also try the pocket packs of breath fresheners, she may think they are pretty cool to have and they are small/flat enough to fit in a pocket.

Hi C.! I have 2 huge teenage boys now, but when our older one was little, he had terrible allergy problems (we still fight it) that often led to sinus infections. That certainly can be a source of bad breath. Don't know if that is what you are dealing with, but it might be worth asking your pedi about. Good luck! S.