What Can Be Done About Bad Breath In a Child?

It is somewhat disturbing to see a case of bad breath in a child—well, at least a chronic case of the condition.  The dental health of a child should be near perfect considering that youth does at least afford a completely clean set of teeth and gums which should negate most bad breath problems caused by periodontal disease or tooth decay.  However, even with a clean bill of dental health, your child may still be experiencing problems with bad breath for a number of reasons, including:

• Diabetes
• Upper Respiratory Infection
• Dry Mouth

Diabetes is a medical problem that has become more prevalent in children during the past twenty years with incident rates rising to the level of national concern.  People afflicted with this condition tend to have weakened immune systems which makes it difficult for the body to naturally prevent bad breath.  This is because bad breath is caused by bacteria living in the oral cavity and when their populations get out of control, halitosis problems arise.

When the body’s natural defenses are compromised by a system disease, bad breath is a common side effect.  If normal oral hygiene and the dentist are unable to find a cure for bad breath in the child, then it is highly recommended that a medical doctor be advised about the condition.

An upper respiratory infection may be the source of your child’s bad breath problems because the flow of a postnasal drip onto the back of the tongue where the bacteria like to gather because it is easier to feed upon food particles.  The bacteria feed upon the discharge of the drip and their population grows rapidly, leading to increased waste production.  It is the by-product of the bacteria, known as Volatile Sulfur Compounds, that produce the odor we associate with bad breath.  Thus, if the bacteria population swells, so does the production of the compounds responsible for bad breath. 

Dry mouth problems are also very common in upper respiratory infections because they cause the child to breathe through the mouth instead of the nasal passage.  When the child has no or little saliva in the mouth, they have no way to naturally prevent bad breath.  This is because saliva helps control bad breath problems by aiding in the production of antibodies that neutralize the bacteria.  In addition, saliva has high concentrations of oxygen which lowers the reproductive rates of bacteria in the mouth. 

Bad breath prevention in a child is often no more complicated than simply increasing fluid intake and monitoring activity levels.  For very active children, it is important for them to drink at least 2/3 ounces of water for every pound of body weight.  For less active children, you can generally keep saliva levels adequate by making sure they drink at least ½ ounce of water for every pound of body weight. 

Finally, be sure to encourage the chewing of sugarless gum as it will help stimulate salivation and thus prevent bad breath in a child so long as fluid intake is adequate. For an all natural product that helps stimulate salivation as well as help kill the harmful anaerobic bacteria inside your mouth, try OraMD®. Our product works so well that we unconditionally guarantee your total satisfaction with our - no quibble, money-back guarantee - no matter how many you order.

Learn more about OraMD® and stopping bad breath in a child.