Child's Mouth Odor

im guessing tonsil stones as well and yes they do smell nasty. I will get them from time to time when I've had a bad cold and have a lot of drainage.

In addition to all the good things you're already trying, you may want to get her a new toothbrush. Sometimes those things can become a germ factory in their own right.

Keep up with what you're doing and, in a few days, I bet you'll see some results!

Probably post nasal drip, but it could be tonsil stones. Those make for some nasty breath.

Sheesh, SJ, no need to be so snotty to J.! I didn't get the impression that she was making her child feel self conscious about her breath, just trying to remedy the source of the bad breath.

EDIT*** SJ, you think you are telling J. the truth, but consider the fact that no one else thought she was being insensitive or unkind to her daughter. We ALL stand for children, you are not the only one. Also consider that your response comes from your bad experiences with your mother. You may want to consider counseling so that you have a healthier view of other parents and don't continue accusing them of doing something to harm their kids emotionally when they are simply trying to help them.

J.-

So sorry you are dealing with this...

BUT...very often the smells of secretions yield some clues as to what is going on...and you have received some good answers/suggestions (as usual) from MOST of the parents here...

I DO however feel a need to 'call out' ONE mom here...

a 'mom' who has indicated an interest in becoming a NURSE...

WOW

Any hoo...as I shared with her via PM...I wish NEVER to be her patient...and hope no family member or friend ever has that experience...

Anyway, IMO...you did nothing wrong...and being 'sensitive' to the 'smells' (and appearance) of various secretions CAN mean all the difference in helping docs. You are on top of this mama IMO!!

And to the 'other' mom...wondering who pissed in her wheaties...

LOL

Best Luck!
michele/cat

Whoa - SJ - having a bad day? Please don't take it out on innocent bystanders!

My son gets "yuck breath" when he has a bad post nasal drip. Your daughter is probably towards the end of her illness but this might take another week to completely clear up.

I had never heard of tonsil stones before this post, so I looked it up. Here is a link: http://www.webmd.com/oral-health/guide/tonsil-stones-tons...

I think its more likely though that your daughters issue is nasal drip.

Good luck and try not to be too bothered about the 1 wierd response you got.

I'm going to suspect she has some extra bacteria floating around in her mouth from being sick. If she was congested, she spent a lot of time breathing through her mouth. This causes dry mouth and is the perfect environment for bacteria to thrive in. Could have settled into her gums as a very slight infection. Keep brushing 3x a day, and scrub that tongue too!

Post nasal drip is another possibility. It could still be occuring even though she's done with the medicine. It can cause some nasty breath. Once her nasal drip clears up, so will the odor.

It's bacteria. When she's fully better, it will get better. My son was sick, his breath smelled bad for a while. He got better and it got better. It's not her teeth, it's the bacteria. Try to keep your nose away from her face if it's taht bad. That's really the only way to not let it bother you till she's better.

I agree with the tonsil stones (sneeze nuggets), and no, it is not your fault, and it is normal to be concerned.

It's likely from the cold.
After she's been better for a while it will get better.
Do you floss her teeth?
She might still have sinus mess up in there.

My daughter had a terrible smell and I was not certain what was going on. I bathed her, washed her hair, clean bedding, clothing, brushed her teeth, etc. She did have a cold and sinus trouble that we took care of with antibiotics. When I went back to the doctor we found she had put food up her nasel passage and it was growing deep in her sinuses. Thankfully, the doctor was able to remove the foul smelling food and she no longer had a strong odor. (Just an idea, in case the doctor hadn't looked in the nose or ear!) Hopefully, she will be better soon!

Two things-
Tom's of Maine makes a good kids all natural mouthwash
Maybe try cutting dairy for a week and see if that helps
Sorry people are making this about you! > : (

J.:

Ear infections often have post-nasal drip. It can suck big time.

Give her a new tooth brush. While it may sound horrible - but gargle with hydrogen peroxide.

Here is a link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvUyNNRZkw4

DO NOT allow her to swallow it.

The odor is from the bacteria that is in her body. The medication she is on isn't helping either. So she can eat yogurt to get some balance back in her body as well.

Good luck!

Your child needs healthy bacteria. The medication likely killed off the healthy bacteria that normally lives in your mouth and gut. If your child took antibiotics you must give her probiotics. Yogurt is great but she will also need high doses of several strains of probiotics. You can get probiotic powder (the best kinds are in the refrigerated section at Whole Foods or your local health food store/Co-op) and mix it with her juice or milk or yogurt. Give on a relatively empty stomach. Look for probiotics that have several different strains of bacteria (Lactobacillus and bifidus for example). I recommend New Chapter's All Flora, which comes in capsules (you can break open to release the powder) and straight powder form. You can't give her too much. You should notice her breath sweeten up in about three to five days. Read about probiotics on Wikipedia here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Probiotic

Have her gargle some water with ginger and mint! My mom has a horrible mouth due to years of RA medications and that's what her dr told her to do and it works! Sorry about your little one hope she feels better soon!

Does she have any sinus infection in addition to her ears?
If so, that can also cause a stinky odor via post nasal drip.

The only time my daughter had that breath we took her to the doctor and she had lots of tissue (or something) lodged way up her nose. I would at least have them check for that, we were pretty shocked when that was it.

This might sound gross to some but I can *always* tell my kids are getting sick before they actually show it by smelling their breath! It's totally true, when your sick you give off a different smell, especially your breath.

It's not a big deal and it should go away once she gets better.

post nasal drip,sleeping with mouth opened (snoring) head cold,ear infection,food stuck in teeth can all cause foul breath.I haven't had it very serious but know when my child is comong down with a cold or ear infection the mouth odor comes first but after a day or two of needing antibiotics it clears on it's.If your still noticing an issue I would get her to a dentist tooth decay can cause funky breath

It could be a lot of things:

Most probably the secretions, as the doctor said.

As its not getting better... Take her in.

It could be a secondary infection, or strep throat, or an abscess, or dehydration (even pushing fluids, still happens), or a bunch of other things... But its PROBABLY "just" the drainage from her ears / that congestion draining. Which can smell like a corpse.

If it smells metallic, that's the big 'strep smell'.
Putrid is typically the infection
'Morning breath" usually dehydration

It is not your fault.

Check out her tonsils for tonsil stones or, for lack of a better word, tonsil cheese. I found this in my daughter's tonsils when she was your daughter's age. She had slits in her tonsils that filled up with the worst-smelling goo. I squeezed it out with q-tips, over a few months. There are also tonsil stones, which are hard lumps that build up in the crevices of tonsils. Nasty.

Look it up online.