What To Do If Your Child Has Bad Breath

You should take action when your child suffers from bad breath because regular bad breath requires investigation. Children who experience halitosis feel socially awkward, and it signals a potential health problem your child may have. Your child must see their pediatric dentist or physician to determine what causes the unpleasant odor.

What is Halitosis?

Halitosis is defined as the medical term for persistent bad breath. Bad breath develops either from the mouth tissues or enters through the lungs. The origins of persistent halitosis and temporary morning breath smell differ. When your child keeps having an unpleasant breath odor, you should explore the reasons behind it.

Causes of Bad Breath in Children

Bad breath among children results from multiple specific causes. Many individuals experience these leading causes of bad breath.

• Failure to brush and floss well lets meal particles accumulate inside the mouth, a growing area for bacteria to build up. The microorganism in the mouth generates sulfur compounds that produce foul smells.
• The decrease in saliva levels lets bacteria develop quickly because the mouth becomes parched. The nose and mouth dry out during sleep, which is what causes morning breath problems.
• Both onion and garlic in food temporarily create unpleasant breath odors when eaten. Sweet foods help bacteria grow in the mouth, making foul breath odors.
• Children who inhale through their mouths during sleep often develop dry oral tissues. The condition causes halitosis.
• The bacteria and mucus gathered from throat or sinus infections produce unpleasant odors through the mouth.

When children fail to care for their teeth, gum disease risks increase despite being uncommon in this age group. Discolored swollen gums and ongoing halitosis serve as indicators of a problem.

Kids’ Bad Breath Solutions

Finding the right solution to treat a child’s bad breath depends on what causes the problem. The following section presents possible solutions for each source of bad breath.

1) Consumption of Certain Foods. Invite your child to eat raw apples or mint right after garlic meals to freshen their breath since garlic causes bad breath problems.

According to garlic breath research, raw apples plus mint can neutralize the smell-causing substances in garlic. Medicinal benefits come from mixing milk with parsley. These treatments work similarly to remove the onion odor from the mouth.

To maximize dental health effects, your child must also brush properly and floss to remove food particles between teeth.

2) Poor Oral Hygiene. Two minutes of daily brushing sessions combined with evening flossing preserves your child’s clean teeth and protects against mouth odor. Parents must keep helping their children brush until they reach seven or eight years old since the readiness age varies between children.

Your child needs routine dental visits to remove oral plaque and tartar properly. Your child’s pediatric dentist will clean areas that are hard to reach and eliminate all existing tartar build-up.

3) Oral Infections. Oral infections require professional treatment.
Treatment options depend on how severe the infection became alongside its cause. Your child’s pediatric dentist will examine your child’s infection before presenting suitable treatment alternatives.

Xerostomia-related halitosis requires identifying the root cause before any treatment approach can begin. Daily water consumption during the day can help children eliminate their persistent lousy breath when it exists alone.

Parents should speak with their child’s pediatric dentist about suitable treatments for mouth-breathing-related xerostomia. The correct choice of exercises and oral devices aids children in developing nasal breathing abilities instead of mouth breathing.

Support your child as they brush their teeth till they reach the point of cleaning their teeth independently. Your child’s pediatrician should be consulted about swapping medications because xerostomia develops as a medication side effect.

4) Improper Cleaning of Oral Appliances. Children must clean their oral appliances thoroughly every day using methods their pediatric dentist or orthodontist has explicitly approved. You should assist in cleaning the appliance whenever your child is young or incapable of adequately cleaning. You should ask your child’s pediatric dentist or orthodontist for help if you doubt your cleaning abilities for their appliance.

5) Tobacco Use. You should prevent your child from smoking due to oral health risks together with respiratory health risks.

6) Non-Oral Medical Conditions. The pediatrician should receive consultation if your child experiences throat or tonsil infection or adenoid or respiratory tract infection when you suspect nasal foreign object insertion or if gastrointestinal problems occur.

Symptoms

Foul breath odors vary, depending on the cause. Some humans fear an excessive amount despite having very little mouth odor. Others have awful breath and do not know it. Because it’s tough to realize how your breath smells, ask a close friend or relative to confirm when you have awful breath. The best way is to make lifestyle changes, such as brushing your teeth and tongue, using dental floss, and drinking water.

When to look for a health practitioner

If you’ve got bad breath, find ways to maintain your mouth and teeth easily. See your dentist if you continue to have horrific breath after making modifications. If your dentist thinks a more extreme circumstance is inflicting your awful breath, you may need to peer any other healthcare expert to locate the reason for the smell.