to think a dentist will take my child's bad breath seriously

[pingu2209]

My son who is nearly 10 has dreadful bad breath; it could strip wall paper. I brush his teeth for him, used the all the mouth washes under the sun. We are now using a new one out called CB12.

His mouth is full of blood when he brushes his teeth and he says his teeth hurt when he brushes them the way that I insist that he does - ie for a long time and as well as possible. If I don't oversee his teeth brushing he would not do it or would do it so badly that you can still see lots of food in his teeth.

We have gone to the dentist 4 times already about it. I am really worried about bullying once he is at secondary school. He is alreayd being bullied at primary. I don't blame the children, his breath is terrible. The teachers have asked me what I am doing as the other children don't want to sit next to him.

The dentist says it is gingivitis and that he needs to brush properly etc. However, we have done all of that. But his gingivitis is so bad that he won't brush his teeth properly by himself because of the blood/pain. I have 2 younger children and it is not always possible to get him in a head lock.

Does he see a hygienist ? Unfortunately good brushing is probably going to be the only way to improve this and that may be uncomfortable short term.

it sounds like gum disease, which often leads to bad breath. he'll need to go the hygienist and get a proper "cleaning" and then you need to make him brush his teeth properly, painful or not. if you don't get it sorted now, the pain will only get worse and (not meaning to scare you!) his teeth will rot away eventually.

I am not a dentist or expert in ANY way!

But just wanted to share that ds who is almost 12 had hideous breath from 10-11 ..... Dentist assured us his teeth cleaning was totally up to scratch. It was SO bad that you could smell it when he came near you. We finally put it down to a growth spurt/ hormones. It came and went for over a year.
We found the only thing that help marginally was a very dilute tcp swill after eating. It was a very temporary help too
Doesn't seem to be a problem recently!
Hopefully your ds will pass too.

Have you tried disclosing tablets to check he is cleaning properly and flossing.

I have a 12 year old and pin him down with the electric tooth brush.

Are you sure it's down to teeth. My DS (8) has a similar problem, also a reluctant tooth brusher etc but I have just recently realised that it seems to be down to mild reflux.

By watching trigger foods we can control it without meds.

I'm sure you've tried this already, but is he brushing his tongue as well as his teeth? A lot of bad breath is down to bacteria build up on the tongue, particularly towards the back.

I was also going to suggest brushing his tongue aswell. It really helps. I always brush my tongue. The bleeding gums sound bad though. I think it's called something like gingivitis (I'm not an expert). My mum had it for a while during her menopause and corsodyl helped.

The poor lad, what a shame for him being ostracised because of it. I would suggest you buy him an electric toothbrush as they ensure that you brush properly and for the right time as they have a timer. Also you might be brushing too hard which could be why it hurts him, whereas it's impossible to brush too hard with an electric as it does the brushing for you without you moving it or pressing it on your teeth too much IYSWIM.

I would also take him to the GP for a check up as his bad breath could be down to something else, for example he could have tonsil stones in his throat or a sinus infection. You might be assuming it's due to his gums as they bleed etc but my son went through a stage of hardly brushing and when he did they bled, but he never had bad breath.

Blood + bad breath = gingivitis. 99.9% of the time it's poor oral hygiene. Use disclosing tablets and maybe an electric tooth brush. If with these measures it does not settle perhaps he needs a specialist referral, because just occasionally there is something unexpected going on. But in 12 years of practice I have yet to see this problem in a child that cannot be sorted out with proper brushing.

pingu is he dehydrated?

I know for a fact my DS doesn't drink enough water (he can get water at school but I know he CBA. He won't take a bottle of water)
If I know he's niffy I stand over him while he drinks a big glassful.
He's 13 yo

Speaking from bitter experience, I would do the following in this order:

Back to the dentist - ask them to do some checks and make sure there is no other underlying cause like tonsils etc. Does he need braces - are his teeth straight, if not they will be harder to clean.

Get them to do a thorough clean so your son is plaque free, make sure they teach him how to use an electric toothbrush effectively
Get the following on prescription (if that's possible for a child - sorry but it will get a bit pricey otherwise). Don't take no for an answer.
1 x electric toothbrush, plus spare heads to be changed once a month.
2 x special dentists toothpaste for sensitive teeth. If your sons gums have receded at all, then they will be hyper sensitive for a bit.
1 x box of disclosing tablets so you can see if your son is brushing his teeth properly and where he is missing bits. He's old enough now not to have his teeth brushed by his mother.
1 x oral irrigator. V important this - they are as expensive as an electric toothbrush but a decent one will remove the need for flossing and MASSIVELY improve his oral hygiene. Important that he uses lukewarm water or he will really feel his sensitive teeth.
1 x repeat hygienist appointment for no more than 3 months away. Definitely insist on this - it will save your son a lot of pain in the future if this is dealt with now.

The only other thing I would say is that if he breathes through his mouth rather than his nose, he will have bad breath. Might be worth observing him to see if he tends to sit slack jawed and if so, you could tie a pair of tights around his head not helpful, sorry

He's 10, and I think old enough for a sensible conversation about this. However, he's also 10 and likely not to care that much or get lazy v quickly. Disclosing tablets will be your friend in that case - it's a bit like a random drug test for an adult . Find a reward system for good brushing results - it doesn't have to be monetary. Control of the remote control for a rainy Sunday afternoon should do it !

Do everything that Oscar says and then also follow up with the doctor. It does sound like gingivitis but there are a couple of health problems that can lead to very bad breath, so it's as well to get him checked out.

DS is autistic and it's almost impossible to get a toothbrush near him. Our dentist gave us a spray and a gel to use as well as prescription strong fluoride toothpaste. We also give him those chewy travel tooth things you get at airports. Pm me if you need brand names and I'll seek them out for you.

Get a sonic toothbrush (as opposed to a plain electric one). They really help with gum health.

Oscar what country are you from? The NHS does not allow for prescriptions for ANY of what you are suggesting. I know you have written that you don't know if that's possible for a child, but then why say don't take no for an answer?

My dd had this and it was caused from a tooth that had fallen out and the root was still left in and smelly.

Could he actually have something stuck up his nose or in his sinuses? I know he has bleeding gums but could that be from all the extra hard brushing? Maybe ask GP for ENT referral? Poor little man hope it improves.

We go to a lovely very thorough paediatric dentist if you are able to get to one in your area??

Has he had lots of bouts of tonsillitis? I used to as a child and for many years I have what is termed tonsil stones. My tonsils are so pitted because I used to get tonsillitis that debris gets caught in them. After a while it forms little yellow cysts which smell awful. I can feel them forming and when I poke them they pop out in all their disgusting glory.

I would recommend flossing too. It does sound like gingivitis. My 2 kids are terrible at brushing their teeth too. I have to do it for them

You can buy a tounge cleaner from boots which you gently scrape the tongue with. Worth a try. I do hope a solution can be found, poor lad.

Pipkins I saw that on embarrassing bodies once. Why don't you get them taken out?

There is also a type of bacteria called Helicobacter pylori, lives in the stomach and causes bad breath - it is often picked up in childhood, it is common but the vast majority of people who have it are symptomless. Might be worth checking out - some of my sisters had it, cured with anti-biotics.

I'm 45 and feel I'm too old. I don't get tonisillitis or many sore throats now as I've built up immunity over the years. However I do enjoy a good poke around now and then.

Use an electric toothbrush and invest in an oral irrigator, can recommend this model www.amazon.co.uk/Panasonic-EW-DJ40-DentaCare-Rechargeable-Irrigator/dp/B002NKLWEI

Didn't OP say right at the start that it was diagnosed gingivitis?

Basically you have to stick it out and do what dentist told you - brushing properly despite his complaints, even though it will be sore. Flossing/mouthwash too, and persevere because that's the treatment. I had it when I was younger and I moaned but boy am I glad I was forced to do it because my Dad let his progress and the resultant infection left him with no teeth.