What To Do When Your Toddler’s Breath Stinks

Many of us have bad breath. We usually avoid going to the dentist for it, unless it gets so bad that family members and friends start to avoid us because of it.

Bad odor coming out from your baby’s or toddler’s mouth can be equally disturbing. Let’s face it: children are oblivious to their own bodily functions, and it’s the parents who get to worry about the loose stool, runny nose, and not-at-all rare case of bad breath.

When to Start Brushing?

Maintaining oral hygiene for babies and toddlers can be a very tricky job. There are constant debates on when to start brushing the little one’s teeth. One of the most popular opinions among moms is to start cleaning the gums first and then start brushing any teeth that come out. There are different dental studies correlating bad breath with poor dental condition or some diseases.

Kids & Oral Hygiene

We eat with our mouths, and our teeth do the job of breaking food down into small pieces to help us swallow. During all this hard work, those micro pieces get stuck in between teeth. Most eight-year-old children can brush their teeth properly. So, any brushing before that time needs to be supervised by a parent. Using the toothbrush to clean the tongue almost never happens for a running and screaming toddler. So, poor oral hygiene of kids is a common issue to be dealt with.

Reasons & Prevention Strategies

Large tonsils are one of the most common causes of bad breath. If you are taking your child for a dentist visit, ask him to check if the tonsils are big or infected. Large tonsils often catch food particles in the deep throat area, and after those start to decompose, the odor begins.

It is a good idea to encourage the child to drink enough water. A dehydrated mouth can start releasing gas, as natural saliva is absent in a dry mouth and therefore can’t keep the bacteria out. This is also common for adults. Brushing only the teeth may cause a white carpet on the back of your child’s tongue. Parents ought to brush the back of the tongue to keep it pink and dirt-free.

Chronic sinus infections are one other common reason behind bad breath. There may be different signs of a sinus infection, but a cold that lingers, fatigue, and yellow drainage from the nose and eyes–along with bad breath–can mean a possible sinus infection. Home remedies can be best for clearing up the sinuses, but a visit to the doctor’s office may help the child feel better sooner rather than later.

If the bad smell is coming from the child’s nose, it might be because they stuck something up there. A quick visit to the dentist’s office may help with the incident of a foul smell coming from one nostril only. The doctor can help remove the foreign element quickly.

Tooth decay can be one of the reasons behind bad breath as well. Periodic checkups with a dentist for the child can cure bad breath, and may even be able to prevent it as well.