Common Causes for Bad Breath In Children

While bad breath is something that’s pretty common in adults, you don’t usually expect it to happen with children. If your child has bad breath, it’s important to understand the possible origins so that you can get effective treatment. Here are the most common reasons for bad breath in children.

Food Choice

Many kinds of food can cause bad breath, but it’s usually temporary rather than chronic. If your child has a habit of eating foods with lots of garlic or onions, there’s a good chance that the bad breath originated there. Soda and sugar products have a negative effect on saliva that causes changes in mouth bacteria, which can cause decay leading to bad breath.

Lack of Proper Dental Hygiene

Lack of proper dental hygiene is high on the list of bad breath culprits in kids. When your child doesn’t remove plaque regularly through brushing and flossing, bacteria will stick around can start to cause odors. Thorough daily brushing and flossing should be done morning and night, about two minutes per session.

Infections

Infections are a common cause of bad breath in both children and adults. Infection can occur with gum disease, open sores in the mouth, or when a tooth has recently been lost.

Chronic Illness

Some children suffer from bad breath due to chronic illness. If your child has acid reflux, chronic sinus infections or throat infections, it’s possible that the infection causes post nasal drip. This postnasal drip has an unpleasant odor due to the infection and this leads to bad breath. Once the chronic illness is managed, the bad breath will typically go away.

Does your child need help with bad breath? Sunshine Smiles Pediatric Dentistry is here for you. Contact us now to arrange an appointment.