Bad breath in a child: causes and remedies

Any adult remembers how pleasant it smells from young children. Milk. Lactic acid bacteria work hard, which do not allow any microbes to develop in the baby's mouth. However, this idyll is not always the case, the breath in a child can be unpleasant. With what it is connected, we will try to figure out how to identify and eliminate the cause. In general, tooth decay is often considered to be the main cause of bad breath. But such a nuisance also happens with babies (babies), who have no teeth yet. So there are a lot of sources of bad smell, and today we will talk about the most common.

Causes of bad smell

It’s worth saying right away that in any person - an adult or a child - there is a huge amount of bacteria in the mouth, most of which are not pathogenic. Pathogenic, or pathogenic, microorganisms in the presence of favorable conditions for their development multiply very quickly and cause various diseases in humans. As a result of a slight weakening of immunity (as a result of taking medication, overwork or stress), pathogenic microbes are activated, causing a bad smell.

The bad breath that occurs in the morning is also associated with bacteria. At night, the production of saliva is significantly reduced, which is an excellent reason for the reproduction of these microorganisms. Hence the unpleasant morning smell.

• Food

Some types of food can spoil the freshness of breath for a long time. Eating foods with a pungent and unpleasant odor invariably contributes to the appearance of bad breath in a child. These include with certainty:

1. carbohydrate food, which causes the smell of rot due to its slow processing by the body.
2. all kinds of fruits and vegetables that cause the fermentation process.
3. onion and garlic.
4. sweet foods that help pathogens multiply.
5. products that emit a specific odor during digestion (corn or cheese, for example).

• Lack of hygiene

There is no need to prove anything. Improper or inadequate oral hygiene will invariably cause a nasty smell.

Note that children need to clean not only their teeth, but also their tongue. In “toothy” children, this can be done with a brush during toothbrushing, in infants - with a damp gauze or a teaspoon.

Teach your child to brush his teeth properly, cleaning out all the gaps between them, and rinse your mouth after eating.

We read on the topic:

• When to start brushing your children’s teeth – https://kid.htgetrid.com/en/uhod-za-rebenkom/kogda-nachinat-chistit-zubki-detyam.html
• 12 effective ways to teach a child to brush his teeth – https://kid.htgetrid.com/en/uhod-za-rebenkom/12-effektivnyih-sposobov-priuchit-rebenka-chistit-zubyi.html

Watch the video: how to teach a child to brush his teeth (tips)

• Mouth breathing

Some children for some reason are used to breathing through their mouths. Because of this, the mucous membrane of the oral cavity dries, which also causes an unpleasant odor. The fact is that saliva is able to destroy microbes, and its absence is a very favorable factor for the reproduction of bacteria. Inadequate production of saliva may be a pathological condition of the body, or may occur as a result of dehydration or taking certain medications.

• Stress

Constant excitement or being in a state of stress can spoil the freshness of breathing, because in such situations, salivation is reduced.

• Not enough drink

Oddly enough, this is one of the reasons for the appearance of a strong smell from the child's mouth. By drinking enough fluid, your baby will rinse your mouth off food debris and improve your digestion. Therefore, children over one and a half years old should drink about 1.5 liters of water per day. Note - it is pure, spring water, not juices or compotes!

• Foreign body

Little explorers can stuff anything into their nose. Before looking for the cause of an unpleasant smelling mouth in something else, check your baby’s nose. It is possible that you find there a foreign body, which caused the smell.

• Digestive system

Indigestion and increased gas formation can cause a specific smell in the child’s mouth, as gastric juice accumulates in the body and the level of acidity changes. In children, these problems most often occur during periods of growth: in girls it is 6-7 years old and 10-12 years old, in boys - 4-6 years old and 13-16 years old.

• Respiratory diseases

Tonsillitis (inflamed tonsils, tonsils) lead to the accumulation of actively multiplying pathogens, suppuration, the formation of mucus, and can often be accompanied by a very unpleasant odor.

Bronchitis. A large amount of sputum accumulates in the bronchi and bronchioles, which comes out during coughing, which has an unpleasant odor.

A runny nose of an infectious or allergic nature is always accompanied by a profuse formation of purulent masses that decompose under the action of bacteria and have an extremely unpleasant odor.

Bad smell as a symptom of a disease

Bad breath can indicate the presence of certain diseases that have not yet manifested themselves in another way.

• Rotten smell

Inflammation of the stomach in most cases is accompanied by a rotten odor that appears in the mouth. The same smell can occur due to gastritis, intestinal dysbiosis, problems with the esophagus, increased gas formation, dehydration with intestinal upset.

The smell of rotten eggs accompanies various liver diseases.

• Sour smell

With increased acidity of the stomach, your child will exude a sour smell from his mouth. Acidic odor can also indicate such a nuisance as the release of gastric juice into the esophagus.

• The smell of rot

The first on the list, of course, is caries. But bad breath can occur as a result of diseases such as periodontal disease, stomatitis, tonsillitis, periodontitis, herpes, pharyngitis and others.

This smell is caused by the accumulation of bacteria in the oral cavity or mucus in the nasopharynx. Smell in the tongue can also emit a foul odor, the cause of which can only be determined by a specialist.

The child may smell rot and during a cold. The reason is simple - the same over-dried mouth (after all, the nose is stuffy, we breathe incorrectly) and the mucus accumulated in the nose.

Inflammation of the adenoids is often accompanied by the smell of pus. Tonsils (tonsils) can accumulate food debris in their folds, which also invariably leads to a bad smell.

The rotten smell comes from the baby and with low acidity of the stomach.

• Sweet smell

Foods rich in starch, taking antibiotics, radiation therapy, and a temporary decrease in immunity can cause fungal infections (candidiasis or thrush), which is manifested by white spots in the oral cavity. The smell in this case will be sweetish.

The sweet smell of raw liver is a sign of hepatitis or cirrhosis. The child’s liver smells from the mouth and in other pathological conditions of this organ.

• Ammonia odor

The smell of urine is an absolutely unpleasant phenomenon, but it can indicate existing problems with the kidneys. The stronger the smell, the more problems have accumulated in the baby's body. This smell arises because the kidney function is impaired, and they cannot afford to remove waste products in full.

• The smell of iodine

The smell of iodine from the mouth is observed in those babies whose body is oversaturated with this trace element. This may be due to a long stay at the sea, for example. Sometimes iodine odors in the mouth are caused by the high sensitivity of the child's body to this substance or its intolerance. In any case, this breathing of your child should be the main reason for a full examination of the thyroid gland.

• Acetone odor

Often colds are accompanied by the smell of acetone from the mouth in children. The same smell occurs with diabetes mellitus, acetonemic syndrome, and thyroid problems. It is necessary to consult a doctor.

• Other smells

Various "inhabitants" inhabiting the body of the child are also able to cause the appearance of bad breath. This refers to pinworms, roundworms and giardia.
Even metabolic disorders in the body can spoil a child’s breathing. With such disorders, crumbs will blow from the mouth with boiled cabbage or even dung.

Ways to get rid of bad smell

First of all, the child needs to be examined (visit an ENT doctor, dentist, pediatrician) to exclude or confirm the presence of any of the above diseases. In this case, measures to eliminate bad breath will come down to treating the disease.

If the unpleasant smelling breath is not associated with the disease, then you must first eliminate the irritant and teach the baby the rules of oral care.

• We observe the rules of hygiene

From an early age, teach your baby to brush their teeth twice a day. Rinsing the mouth after eating should also become a habit in the baby. For greater pleasure, you can buy a “tasty” rinse aid for your child at the pharmacy or use decoctions of chamomile or sage. (see links to articles above)

• Limit the sweet

We understand that for some it is almost impossible, but you need to try. After all, the “pleasantness” of your child’s breathing depends on your persistence, and there will be little chance for caries. This does not mean that the child should forget about sweets forever. Not at all. You just need to try to replace them with natural products.

For example, any candy can be replaced with honey (in the absence of a child allergies, of course). Instead of sweets, you can offer your child fruit. Ordinary apples have excellent oral cleaning qualities. In our case, any other acidic fruits are suitable, which increase the salivation process and help eliminate the nasty smell.

• Drinking mode

It is necessary to observe it, and this is not discussed. Only now it is necessary to approach the choice of drinks with all responsibility. In the diet of the child should be dominated by natural products - stewed fruit, juices and tea. But it’s best to drink regular drinking water. Any carbonated drinks should be prohibited - they become the cause of fermentation in the body and, consequently, bad breath.

• Psychological attitude

The problem of stale breathing is very delicate and even painful for many children. It is important to create a positive attitude and focus on a good result. Explain to the baby that it is not he who is to blame for the problems, but the state of his body, and do not forget to mention the importance of brushing your teeth.

Try not to voice the problem in public, the child may experience a complex or resentment against you.

Now you know that the cause of the appearance of bad breath from the child's mouth can be either a serious illness or completely harmless factors of a temporary nature.In any case, to identify the "culprit" of a bad smell, you need to urgently and take timely measures to eliminate it. Remember that any malfunctions in the baby's body that are left unattended will bring you and your baby many problems in the future.

Video Consultation: Bad Breath

The pediatrician, candidate of medical sciences, mother of three children Tatyana Prokofieva talks about the causes of the smell

Narrated by Komarovsky

Well, for everyone, both children and adults, how to get rid of bad breath

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