20 answers

Bad Breath in 18 Month Old

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 :) !

What can I do next?

Featured Answers

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.

More Answers

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.

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!

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.

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 !!

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.

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.

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!

Consult with a dentist. He could have been born with genetic dental issues.

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