5 years old DS bad breath and white tongue

[Chloephilips]

Hi,
Ive noticed my 5 year old has bad breath even right after brushing his teeth, he had been at the dentist last month and no decay or anything untoward mentioned. He does pick his nose and eat it sometimes (gross I know, we're working on it) could this be the cause? Ive had him stick out his tongue and the front half seems ok but ive seen some white stuff at the back could this be thrush? Unsure what to do, don't want him to be picked on

Who is brushing his teeth? You or him?
Does he drink enough water?
Does he snore or mouth breathe?

Don’t think the nose picking & eating would cause it although obviously good to discourage for other reasons!!

I would start him using a gargle of listerine mouthwash before brushing teeth and ask him to brush his tongue as far back as he can reach.
https://www.listerine.com/mouthwash/for-kids/listerine-smart-rinse/listerine-smart-rinse-mouthwash-bubble-blast

Brushing your tongue is a way to do tongue scraping which often stops bad breath.

(Mouthwash should not be used after brushing teeth because it washes away the fluoride from the toothpaste.)

does he push thing up his nose? If so it could be some food, this happened to my cousins boy, she took him to the dr & they found that he'd shoved a bit of bread right up there and it had gone mouldy hence the stink, it's quite common apparently

Does he have a cold and/or sore throat? White stuff on the tongue is often the result of a post nasal drip. this could also impact his breath.

Mouthwash is not advised for five year olds , five year olds cannot spit out efficiently , it will be swallowed and mouthwash will make things worse as dries mouth out, suppresses good bacteria and is too harsh for young mouths and may well be uncomfortable. No child needs mouthwash , most mouthwashes are classed as cosmetics as there is no clinical evidence they are any good for mouth health , unless prescribed by a dentist for specific reasons.

Thrush will only come about if child is under the weather in some other way.

If bad breath may be post nasal drip , can he breathe through nose ok , does he have hay fever or allergies? Mouth breathing at night can also be a cause , again mostly because of blocked nose.

Constipation can also be a cause of bad breath , make sure he is drinking enough.

You can also brush the tongue at the same time as going over their teeth.

Some medications can also give a tongue coating .

Have you considered probiotics? Imbalance in the digestive system can cause mouth issues.