The most common causes of halitosis in kids are poor oral hygiene, cavities and gingivitis. Bad breath can also be due to smelly foods, mouth breathing, loose dental restorations, dry mouth, infections in the mouth, ears, nose or throat, and certain health conditions and medications.
Good dental hygiene is the best way to prevent and manage bad breath. Your child should brush their teeth and tongue twice a day. Children can also start flossing or using interdental brushes once they start school.
If your child has gum disease, also known as gingivitis, their breath can smell like sulfur or rotten eggs. Gum disease causes the bacteria in the mouth to release chemicals with an unpleasant odor. Children with gum disease may also have swollen or red gums and bleed when brushing their teeth.
Most often, boys and girls develop halitosis as a side effect of some sort of upper respiratory infection. It may be a common cold, allergies, or flu symptoms. When the nasal passages are blocked, it's more likely that your child will breathe through the mouth.
A fruity odor to the breath is a sign of ketoacidosis, which may occur in diabetes. It is a potentially life-threatening condition.
It can take months or years before symptoms of type 1 diabetes are noticed. Type 1 diabetes symptoms can develop in just a few weeks or months. Once symptoms appear, they can be severe.
Some describe keto breath as having a metallic taste in their mouth and a smell that's sweet, fruity or similar to nail polish remover. This is caused by the chemicals your body creates during ketosis, which are released from the body by exhaling.
When to see a doctor. If you have bad breath, review your oral hygiene habits. Try making lifestyle changes, such as brushing your teeth and tongue after eating, using dental floss, and drinking plenty of water. If your bad breath persists after making such changes, see your dentist.
Bad breath can be a warning sign that other diseases or illnesses are present. Postnasal drip, respiratory and tonsil infections, sinus problems, diabetes, liver and kidney issues, as well as certain blood disorders can all cause bad breath.
Tonsillitis, respiratory infections such as sinusitis or bronchitis, and some gastrointestinal diseases may be responsible for a small number of cases of bad breath. Advanced liver or kidney disease and uncontrolled diabetes can also lead to unpleasant breath.
Dehydration
Dehydration causes bad breath because when you're dehydrated your body doesn't produce enough saliva. Without saliva there to clean out debris, bacteria have the chance to grow and cause bad breath. If you aren't drinking enough water while working out, this might be the cause of your bad breath.
Mouth infections can cause bad breath. However, if your dentist has ruled out other causes and you brush and floss every day, your bad breath could be the result of another problem, such as a sinus condition, gastric reflux, diabetes, liver or kidney disease. In this case, see your healthcare provider.
Tonsils infected with the contagion begin to emit low levels of pus, or dead white blood cells. The decaying cells give off a protein-like odor similar to that exuding from tonsil stones, though generally not as strong.
Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).
Persistent acid reflux happens when stomach acid pushes up into the esophagus. This misplaced stomach acid may itself cause bad breath — or, because stomach acid erodes tooth enamel, it can lead to the crevices that trap food.
Tell your child to take a deep breath in through their nose, filling their lungs with air downwards towards the belly. As their belly expands up and out, notice their bottom hand rise. Then tell your child to breathe out slowly through their mouth, feeling the bottom hand lower back down.
You have bad breath
“There's a correlation between people who have periodontal disease and people with cardiovascular disease,” says Florida periodontist David Genet. "While there may not be a direct cause and effect between medical diseases, such as heart disease and dental health, they are closely interrelated.
Everyone gets bad breath from time to time — especially after eating garlic, onions or other strong foods. But bad breath that doesn't go away (chronic halitosis) could mean you have an oral health issue or a condition that's affecting another part of your body. Halitosis is a symptom of many different conditions.
When fat is used as energy, by-products called ketones are produced. These ketones can build up over time and can make the blood very acidic. The ketones can be detected by blood or urine testing and you may also notice a smell on your child's breath (like acetone or pear drops).
One way is to lick your wrist, let it dry for a second, and sniff it - you would know if your breath stinks. Another way is to take a floss or tongue scraper and gently move it towards the back of your mouth or tongue and then smell it. This should also give you a fair assessment whether your breath smells bad.
The doctor will do a simple urine test to check for glucose (sugar) in the urine and a finger stick to measure preliminary blood glucose level. A more involved test, called an oral glucose tolerance test, can tell for certain if it's type 1 diabetes. Your child will need to follow a special diet before this procedure.