Tips For Handling a Toddler"s Bad Breath
Bad breath is usually associated more with adults but a toddler's bad breath is also possible.
For this, the unpleasant mouth odor could be from a variety of things such as items placed in the toy that have not been properly cleaned to include a teething ring or pacifier from dehydration and even from small food particles being stuck between the teeth.
If your toddler has mouth odor, this article will provide some helpful tips on handling the problem.
The best thing is to prevent toddler bad breath which can be done in a number of ways.
For starters, even if your child has only a few teeth, brushing daily should be done daily.
You should also help your toddler floss to make sure food particles after meals do not become trapped.
Typically, good oral hygiene is all it takes to prevent the problem of toddler bad breath from developing.
However, if you find that your child is experiencing this problem then the following will be beneficial.
If the toddler's bad breath were because of a buildup of tartar, also known as plaque, then your child would need to see a child dentist for proper cleaning.
Again, plaque buildup is usually seen in older children but it can occur in small children as well, especially if they are eating bad foods and not following a proper oral hygiene schedule.
With professional cleaning the dentist would work gently to remove the plaque allowing the problem of toddler mouth odor to go away.
Thumb sucking can also cause poor smelling breath.
The reason is that when sucking on the thumb often the mouth can dry out.
When this happens the mouth becomes the ideal place for bacteria to grow and with this a foul odor develops.
Therefore, this would be the ideal time to start breaking the thumb sucking habit and in the meantime make sure the toddler has plenty of water to drink to keep the mouth inside moist.
Infections are also a known cause of a toddler's bad breath.
Therefore, infection, whether from tonsillitis, strep throat, sinus or even something to do with an upper respiratory infection to include pneumonia and bronchitis, mouth odor would be a likely problem.
Any infect should be checked immediately by the child's doctor for two reasons.
First, it would get the infection under control for the child's overall health but it would also help with the problem of toddler bad breath.
There are times, although not often that a childhood disease can cause a toddler's mouth odor which can become a chronic problem.
A perfect example is with child diabetes.
With this disease, the child's glucose blood level would be too high.
Child diabetes can also cause the problem of dehydration.
Of course, diabetes is a very serious problem that needs to be checked and treated.
The goal when recognizing toddler bad breath is to make sure it is not caused by an underlying illness rather than poor oral hygiene.
Regardless of the cause, bad breath problems can be treated relatively easy even in smaller children.
For this, the unpleasant mouth odor could be from a variety of things such as items placed in the toy that have not been properly cleaned to include a teething ring or pacifier from dehydration and even from small food particles being stuck between the teeth.
If your toddler has mouth odor, this article will provide some helpful tips on handling the problem.
The best thing is to prevent toddler bad breath which can be done in a number of ways.
For starters, even if your child has only a few teeth, brushing daily should be done daily.
You should also help your toddler floss to make sure food particles after meals do not become trapped.
Typically, good oral hygiene is all it takes to prevent the problem of toddler bad breath from developing.
However, if you find that your child is experiencing this problem then the following will be beneficial.
If the toddler's bad breath were because of a buildup of tartar, also known as plaque, then your child would need to see a child dentist for proper cleaning.
Again, plaque buildup is usually seen in older children but it can occur in small children as well, especially if they are eating bad foods and not following a proper oral hygiene schedule.
With professional cleaning the dentist would work gently to remove the plaque allowing the problem of toddler mouth odor to go away.
Thumb sucking can also cause poor smelling breath.
The reason is that when sucking on the thumb often the mouth can dry out.
When this happens the mouth becomes the ideal place for bacteria to grow and with this a foul odor develops.
Therefore, this would be the ideal time to start breaking the thumb sucking habit and in the meantime make sure the toddler has plenty of water to drink to keep the mouth inside moist.
Infections are also a known cause of a toddler's bad breath.
Therefore, infection, whether from tonsillitis, strep throat, sinus or even something to do with an upper respiratory infection to include pneumonia and bronchitis, mouth odor would be a likely problem.
Any infect should be checked immediately by the child's doctor for two reasons.
First, it would get the infection under control for the child's overall health but it would also help with the problem of toddler bad breath.
There are times, although not often that a childhood disease can cause a toddler's mouth odor which can become a chronic problem.
A perfect example is with child diabetes.
With this disease, the child's glucose blood level would be too high.
Child diabetes can also cause the problem of dehydration.
Of course, diabetes is a very serious problem that needs to be checked and treated.
The goal when recognizing toddler bad breath is to make sure it is not caused by an underlying illness rather than poor oral hygiene.
Regardless of the cause, bad breath problems can be treated relatively easy even in smaller children.
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