Baby Bad Breath

Most babies have sweet smelling breath, but occasionally baby bad breath does occur. It can be a particular problem upon waking, after the baby has been asleep for a few hours - like morning breath in adults. During sleep, the mouth is typically relaxed and motionless, there is decreased saliva production, and bacteria that live in the mouth cavity have an opportunity to multiply undisturbed. Some of these bacteria can produce the unpleasant odor we associate with bad breath, and when they multiply to sufficient numbers, the odor becomes detectable.

If you think that "morning breath" is causing bad breath in baby, try treating it by cleansing the mouth before putting baby down for a nap. If baby is very young and has no teeth, encourage a water rinse to flush traces of formula or bits of food out of cracks and crevices. If baby has teeth, a gentle brushing and a rinse should help. Rinsing and brushing upon waking can be helpful too. (Fluoridated toothpastes should be used very sparingly in young children, and brushing should always be supervised even when your child is old enough to begin brushing on her own.) If these measures relieve the baby bad breath, you needn't do more.

However, if bad breath in baby persists after brushing and cleansing, there may be another problem. Does baby use a soother or habitually suck on some other object like a blanket or stuffed toy? An object that is continually put into the mouth gets coated with saliva and oral bacteria and can develop an unpleasant odor. Though the smell may not be offensive to your child, it can contribute to lingering bad odors in the vicinity of baby, and to baby bad breath. The simple solution is to wash or replace the offending item regularly. Eventually, your child will give up the sucking habit and the problem will disappear on its own.

Occasionally bad breath in baby has a more sinister cause. If your efforts to solve the problem are fruitless, you should consult your pediatrician or family doctor. The physician will check for signs of throat or sinus infection, infection somewhere in the mouth, tooth decay, or a foreign object lodged in a nasal passage. Sinus congestion can contribute to baby bad breath as well, by causing baby to breathe through the mouth: dry mouth is a cause of breath odor in both children and adults because saliva is naturally antibacterial and, in a healthy mouth, it keeps the population of odor causing bacteria at a minimum.

Once again, baby bad breath is relatively unusual: if simple measures don't solve the problem, your child should be seen by a medical professional to rule out more serious problems.

Bad Breath and Acid Reflux

Is there a connection between bad breath and acid reflux? Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a condition where stomach contents return up the esophagus, sometimes all the way to the mouth, causing heartburn and an unpleasant bitter taste. Many professionals and health writers list GERD as a possible cause of bad breath, but few go into any detail about what produces the bad odor. Given that there may be a demonstrable connection, there are a couple of explanations we can consider.

First, symptoms of bad breath and acid reflux often strike after consumption of a large meal. Many foods, though we love to eat them, don't smell too good on the breath afterwards. These include garlic (probably the best known food cause of bad breath), onions, strong cheeses, spicy foods, alcoholic beverages, and a number of other foods. When a recently consumed meal is pushed back up the esophagus, it wouldn't be surprising that an unpleasant smell is produced on the breath.

Secondly, it's no secret that one's stomach contents don't smell too good. The stomach is an acid environment where foods start to break down in preparation for digestive processes in the intestine. If enough time has passed since the food was consumed, stomach contents that return up the esophagus in a case of GERD will have the sharp acidic smell of vomit - an unpleasant odor producing an atypical halitosis and suggesting a link between bad breath and acid reflux.

Thirdly, in cases of chronic GERD, acid stomach liquids repeatedly come in contact with, and burn, the lining of the esophagus. Because the damage recurs frequently, the tissue never has time to heal completely and is thus chronically irritated with continual production of dead tissue. Dead tissue has an unpleasant odor, and when it is present in the esophagus, it's likely to produce an indirect connection between bad breath and acid reflux.

But, the truth is, there doesn't seem to be a really strong correlation between bad breath and acid reflux itself. A relatively low percentage of people with GERD experience chronic halitosis. Instead, researchers recently reported at the 71st Annual Scientific Meeting of the American College of Gastroenterology (2006) that there is an apparent connection between proton pump inhibitors (drugs commonly used to treat GERD), and chronic bad breath. The drugs, it seems, may cause an overgrowth of odor producing bacteria in the mouth - and anaerobic odor producing bacteria in the mouth are by far the most common cause of chronic halitosis.

Bad Breath Solution

Anyone who has struggled with the problem of halitosis knows how challenging it can be to find a bad breath solution. Fortunately, this area of medical treatment, ignored for so long by everyone except the producers of mouthwashes and breath mints, is enjoying considerable close attention these days; things started to improve when we learned where the foul odor of bad breath really came from. It was the first step to developing treatments that work.

Dr. J. Tonzetich may have earned the distinction of being the first bad breath doctor when he worked out the process by which bad breath is produced in the mouth. The odor, he discovered, is caused by volatile sulfur compounds produced by bacteria in the mouth. The offensive bacteria are anaerobes, living in places in the mouth where there is little oxygen: in pockets between the gums and teeth, in the spaces between the teeth, around the tonsils, and deep between the papillae on the surface of the tongue at the back of the mouth. Understanding that these bacteria were responsible for the problem allowed researchers to start an informed search for a bad breath solution.

For most people, the appropriate bad breath doctor will be either a dentist or a medical doctor. These are the professionals who can do a proper assessment of a patient's dental and physical health to determine why the anaerobes are doing so well in the mouth. There may be periodontal disease, a sinus condition, a problem around the tonsils, post nasal drip, or even a more serious undiagnosed disease condition that requires treatment. It's important that halitosis sufferers have their condition evaluated by medical professionals before attempting their own bad breath solution.

Sometimes, there is a true bad breath doctor who can be consulted. Again, these are usually former dentists or medical doctors who have taken a special interest in helping people to find a bad breath solution. These professionals may have done their own research and developed an approach to treatment that has had considerable success. They generally operate clinics and see patients by appointment like any doctor's office. Proper assessment will include verifying that the patient truly does have a bad breath problem and checking for signs of all the problems mentioned above. Referral to a doctor or dentist may result if that appears appropriate. If you think a bad breath clinic might be the right choice for you, see if you can find one in your area - unfortunately they are quite rare.

If you are considering self-treatment of halitosis, think about trying a product recommended by a clinic bad breath doctor. Though the clinic may be inaccessible to you, the products are often available by mail or over the internet. Clinic products generally have a good reputation and a money back guarantee. You are more likely to find a bad breath solution with one of these providers than with products and vendors you know nothing about. Again however, it would be wise to consult a dentist, and possibly a medical doctor about your problem before embarking on any course of self-treatment.

Bad Breath Bible

Perhaps you've heard of something called the bad breath bible. There is, in fact, such a thing. It's a book written by Dr. Harold Katz, a specialist in the treatment of halitosis and the developer of a line of products for doing just that (TheraBreath). Dr. Katz's website tells us that he was a practicing dentist before he became interested in researching and treating bad breath. His book is a summary of his research and his understanding of the problem.

The product that Dr. Katz is selling is sometimes described as a bad breath natural remedy because it does not contain the antibacterial chemicals so common in over the counter mouthwashes (however, it does contain the chemical sodium chlorite). His approach, instead, is to deliver oxygen to regions of the mouth where there is little air circulation and anaerobic bacteria flourish. (Anaerobic bacteria live in the absence of oxygen and produce the foul odors that we associate with bad breath.) The bad breath bible explains not only where these bacteria are found, but how they cause halitosis and why Katz's product should work to control them.

There may not be any really ground-shaking information in the bad breath bible: we have known for some time that foul breath odor is produced by bacteria and that these bacteria are anaerobes living on the surface of the tongue, between the teeth, in pockets and creases in the gums, and in the tonsillar crypts. People have used different approaches for eliminating these bacteria, particularly antibacterial mouthwashes, and sometimes even antibiotics. The delivery of oxygen to anaerobic areas in the oral cavity is one of several new approaches that seek a bad breath natural remedy.

Though the treatment uses sodium chlorite, this is described as a very safe chemical that simply reacts in the mouth to release oxygen. Other natural ingredients in some of the products include zinc to reduce bad tastes and tartar, and tea tree oil as a natural antimicrobial.

Whether or not you're keen on trying the line of products that the bad breath bible recommends, it will likely provide you with a source of information about halitosis and answers to many questions that you have. It is often available for download free from Katz's website, and will doubtless clarify the question of whether there might truly be a bad breath natural remedy.

How To Get Rid Of Bad Breath

The problem of how to get rid of bad breath has frustrated halitosis sufferers for generations. It seems odd, and perhaps unfair, that some people have halitosis for no apparent reason, while others never have a problem. Fortunately, huge advances in medicine and science in the last 60 years have shed light on the subject, and there are now better products for dealing with unpleasant breath odor.

Bad breath help may be as near as your doctor or dentist. How is your physical health? Do you have any underlying medical conditions that might account for your problem? Consult your family doctor for confirmation that you have a problem, advice on whether a health problem could be causing your trouble, and a discussion about how to get rid of bad breath. How is your oral and dental health? While poor oral hygiene is perhaps not so closely linked with halitosis as many people believe, dental decay and gum disease can certainly foster the proliferation of anaerobic oral bacteria that produce foul odors. Your dentist can tell you if you have either of these problems.

If your general and oral health are both fine, but you still need bad breath help, you'll find a diverse selection of products on the market. It's a good idea to avoid the common breath mints, breath freshening gums and oral sprays: for the most part, these products temporarily mask the odor of bad breath but do nothing to show you how to get rid of bad breath for good (they are, however, indispensable for close encounters of short duration - like dates and interviews). Look instead for products that will work at a deeper level - products that actually eliminate the oral bacteria that cause bad breath.

Mouthwashes that contain antibacterial ingredients are not new, and they do seem to provide bad breath help. Newer approaches to the problem may be even more effective, but to date, no one has discovered how to get rid of bad breath for good. Some newer products seem to keep halitosis under continuous control as long as they are used consistently - products that release oxygen in the mouth to kill anaerobic bacteria, or use oil to gather up bacteria and carry them away. It's hard to eliminate these bacteria entirely, however, so if you stop using the product, the problem tends to recur.

The answer may lie with the body's ability to fight oral bacteria on its own. Researchers are now asking themselves whether lifestyle can play a role in how to get rid of bad breath. Is it made worse by poor diet - possibly some nutrient deficiency? Could an improved active healthy lifestyle stimulate the body's immune system to fight off the unwelcome bacteria? Hopefully, medical research in the coming years will answer this question - then we will all have access to more, and better, bad breath help.