How to get rid of my son's HORRID breath!!!

Question

My son breaths through his mouth AND he has seasonal allergies (Both culprits for bad breath). Even after brushing his teeth and his tounge his breath STILL smells bad. He has nothing to eat or drink after brushing his teeth at night, other than plain water and his breath this morning about made me gag. We just took him to the dentist a few weeks ago and she said other than a couple of soft spots on his 2 front teeth (He was a preemie and has enamel deficiencies) she said everything looked good. What else can we do to combat this? I don't want to give him mouth rinse because he might swallow it.

Answer 1

Things that cause bad breath that might be kid or preemie related:

sinusitis

bronchitis

lung infection

dry mouth

reflux/GERD/heartburn

something stuck in the nose

bacterial gingivitis

asthma = acidic breath

enlarged tonsils or adenoids - common in preemies, can cause mouth breathing

Flossing can help if it's tooth related.

Rinses for dry mouths, the dentist would be able to tell you if that's OK for your son.

Kids, even preschool age, can be so blunt and hurt feelings, even if they don't mean to. You're right, better to try to handle the problem.

Answer 2

paying close attention to good oral hygiene such as proper brushing and flossing can help eradicate bad breath.  but take into account, bad breath treatments will also depend on the cause of it.  

dry mouth, cavity, gum disease, medications, poor oral hygiene, smoking and stomach related illness are the major factors that can cause bad breath.  

whatever the cause is, it is best that you consult a dentist to help you figure out the cause and to get the right treatment.  good oral hygiene is always important to keep the mouth healthy, clean and fresh like proper brushing and flossing.

visit http://www.oramd.co.uk for more bad breath banishing tips.  

Answer 3

Ok.. lighten up. Seriously. People who breathe through their mouth has bad breath. It's due to dryness. You are going to give your child a horrible complex that can scar him for life if you don't relax on this.

There's no solution unless you can teach him to breath through his nose more often. With that comes into play allergies. It would be horrible to give your child mints or gum to chew all the time, as it woudln't be good for his teeth. Explaining why would also cause the complex.

My son has nearly the same problem. He found a girl who has horrible sinus problems and can't smell worth a darn. He actually found several girls growing up that were like that.

When you get up, try to breath through your mouth while talking to him. Just try to avoid breathing in through your nose while he's close by.  

Answer 4

It may be something in his stomach. I'm not a professional, but I heard that this could happen. Take him to a general doctor, maybe he would know better :]

Also, mouthwash wont be so bad, just make sure you tell him not to drink it...

Answer 5

give him some Activated Charcoal tablets/capsules

give him some Chlorphyll (capsules or liquid)