Child with REALLY Bad Breath

Lactose is found in many, many foods. Even hotdogs! So you may still want to look into that idea. Check labels, and if she refuses to drink milk, don't even push her. I know from experience! Her body likely can't process milk and is telling her not to drink it. I disliked milk and couldn't bring myself to drink it and my dad would make me. I was constantly in the Dr. office and even ER with stomach problems and they finally figured out it was dairy when I was thirteen. Off topic, but I thought I'd mention it.

Here are some natural remedies you may try:
Parsley chewed on throughout the day can help bad breath from within the stomach, so you may want to try that. If she won't eat it, you can try having her chew parsley and mint leaf together, or, I believe you can get tablets. Garlic, also, even though garlic gives you garlic breath, it is an antibacterial. It also repels insects and is good for the bloodstream. Garlic also comes in tablet form that supposedly doesn't give you any odor. One other thing you may try is having her gargle with a tea tree oil rinse instead of standard mouthwash. You put five drops of tea tree in a quarter cup of water and rinse and gargle. She most likely won't like the taste, but tea tree is an antibacterial and antiseptic.

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So when I was a teen and into my adulthood I also suffered from really bad breath. And was told by my dentist to invest in a tongue scraper to help remove any bacteria from the tongue, as it just has tendency to stay put. Also, and I am sure you already do this but flossing after every meal might help as well, I know that she is young but they have cute flossers designed for little hands and little mouths. I know that my little boys love to floss, so it can be enjoyable. Let me know if this was any help at all

I had a friend who had the same issue with her daughter and she was always getting sick. As soon as my friend had her daughter's tonsils taken out (at age 2!), no more problems with her breath. ????

I would take her to an Ear, Nose and Throat doctor and have her nose and throat checked there first. Sometimes bad breath like this is from posterior nasal drainage, and it could also be from a nasal obstruction or a foreign body in her nose that she might have put there when she was smaller. I had a patient once with this and she had put a small ball of rolled up carpet fuzz in her nose when she was smaller - it was way up in her nose so you could not see it easily. It was holding drainage behind the foreign body and gave her really bad breath. Problems with tonsils and other nasal problems can also cause these type problems.

J.,
It looks like there aree alot of families with this problem! Our daughter had bad breath from a young age, too. She was a mouth breather and always sounded stuffed up (until about age 7). We took her to the ENT because of chronic ear infections. She not only had enlarged tonsils but enlarged adnoids as well. As soon as they were both removed all the problems were solved. No snoring, no bad breath, no ear infections, she slept better and ate better (she said she could taste her food!) good luck finding a solution!
C. T.

There's two things I can think of off the top of my head: Do you brush her tongue? And does she drink enough water/is she dehydrated? Have you taken her to the dentist?

J.,

There is a product out there called body mint. Look for it online at bodymint.com I have not been able to find it in stores. It is a little green pill that is made from plants. The website should give you all of the information you want before you buy. It really is amazing. My husband was having very offensive foot odor and within a week it was gone. The nice breath he had was a great side effect. We were trying to deal with the feet, so that was unexpected. It is in a pill form but you could crush it in yogurt or applesauce since your daughter is so young. I was so impressed what it did for my husband,that I use it now and I dont have to wear chemical deoderants anymore. You will see results very quickly, within a week. This way you know if it will work for you guys. Good luck!!! K.

My 18 month old had a really bad breath and when I took her to the doctor- she had a sinus infection. I am not sure if this is it but just speaking from experience.

Hello J.,

One of the most common causes of bad breath in children
is improper teeth brushing. Many children do not have the
fine motor skills needed to adequately clean their teeth until they are about 9 years old. Even when children do have the
fine motor development, often they simply don't take the time
necessary to clean and floss teeth. A 2 minute egg timer sometimes helps remind children how long to brush. Checking your daughter's teeth after she brushes is a great way to see if she is doing an adequate job. You may need to help her floss as food can be lodged between teeth causing odors from bacterial growth. Brushing the tongue is also part of good dental hygiene. You may want to inspect her gums to be sure there is no reddness or swelling, look at the teeth as well for
any discolorations or irregularities. An evaluation by a
dentist is helpful to be certain there are no cavities or infections that may be causing the odor. Dietary measures that
are helpful are avoiding sugary beverages and foods as bacteria
love sugar. It is wise to have her brush at least twice a day
to keep the teeth and gums healthy. Finally, there are a few
diseases that can lead to constant bad breath like strep infections and tonsillitis. If the teeth and gums are fine,
you may want to have her checked by your physician to be certain that she is not carrying a chronic low grade infection.
Good luck and you are a great mom for taking the time to notice
this problem.

I would suggest flossing every night and scraping the back of her tongue. Also review her diet carefully. Maybe more fruits and vegetables

Hello,

Also check her blood sugar and her liver. Or talked about it to your pediatrician. Good Luck

Sylvia

Have her scrape her tongue with a spoon. It's better than a toothbrush. My daughter is nearly 6 and has had awful breath since she was 2. I mean it's so bad I don't want her to talk to me in the morning. Mouthwash rarely helps, alcohol creates dry mouth. The smell is the bacteria, scraping the tongue removes it.

Another thing to consider is having her floss. That was the recommendation we got. It didn't help her as much as scraping her tongue did, but if your daughter is having greater issues when she loses and gains a new tooth this may also help.

When I was little I had the same problem, my grandma took me to the doctor and they found that I had stuck cotton up my nose and no one knew.

Hi J.,

If a person's bowels are not eliminating well (often enough and effectively enough), this can cause bad breath. If your daughter has difficulties with constipation, then getting that worked out is a good starting point. A significant change in diet may do the trick, but if not natural supplements may be needed. You might want to consider seeing a nutritionist who emphasizes getting the elimination systems cleaned out and strengthened. If you'd like a recommendation, email me at ____@____.com that helps,
M.

All of the suggestions so far are great! I would like to add a thought that has not been posted. Bad breath can also be from lack of chloryphyll in the diet. Does she eat many green veggies? If not, you may want to consider a chloryphyll supplement. They have a powder form, and all you do is mix it in juice. Just another option.....

May look into digestive problems, chlorophyll was mentioned. There are digestive enzymes that may help, some have chlorophyll. They contain bromelain, and papain, usually derived from papaya and pineapple. Lack of enough hydrchloric acid can create problems. Diet changes sound like a good idea, and you may want to look at what is called Food Combining. 3 things on a plate all the time can thwart proper digestion. Salads for a meal each nite for awhile, and foods like brown rice, I have been told help balance, as well as sticking to water with splash of lemon. I would say, in my opinion 7 is too young to fast, and the prior helps cleanse. Do it as a family,saying we are going to do something healthy together so she is not so self-conscious about it, and you may all feel better.

Good luck

Hi J.;

Well, the first thing I would do is talk to both her doctor and dentist and see if there could be a medical reason for this. It could even be an food allergy, or something else going on in the body.

L. Smith