Moms constantly monitor the health of their children. When a special smell arises from the mouth, they begin to look for the cause of this pathology. Various causes cause stale breathing, the main of which is irregular oral care. However, in some cases, the symptoms that appear may signal the occurrence of serious health problems of the baby and the need to visit a pediatrician. Why does a child (2 years) have bad breath?
Varieties of bad breath in children
There are several types of smell that can occur in a child. To determine it, you do not need to visit a specialist, but you can do it yourself.
Types of odors:
- Chemical. It occurs when taking antibiotics or other drugs. Sometimes this may indicate the presence of digestive diseases.
- Sweetish. A smell can indicate a baby’s liver problems. In order to avoid serious problems in the future, it is urgent to contact a gastroenterologist.
- Rotten. Sometimes, when belching, the child has a disgusting smell, reminiscent of rotten eggs. This may indicate diseases of the digestive tract. Sometimes such a smell is felt with severe lesions of the excretory system.
If the child is 2 years old, there is a smell from the mouth, then the mother needs to go to the hospital with the baby.
Food
The child is old enough to try some foods without adults. Temporary deterioration in the smell of breath can provoke garlic, onions, celery, and smoked meats. When food residues are mixed with saliva, various enzymatic reactions in the form of fermentation occur in the mouth. The child has a bad breath (2 years) for the same reason, so parents need to clean their baby's teeth to eliminate it.
Digestive problems
A particularly nasty smell in a baby can cause heartburn or belching, which occurs constantly. Mom needs to watch the baby after eating. If the baby develops dysbiosis, then flatulence and increased gas formation will disturb him.
If there are problems with the sphincter, then part of the contents of the stomach can be thrown into the esophagus, which causes acid breathing in the child. Together with a similar sign, the presence of bitterness in the mouth, nausea, hiccups, and vomiting is possible. If an intestinal pathology occurs, a black coating is visible on the baby's teeth, which encircles their necks. When parents have noticed a special bad breath in the child, it is best to go to a specialist appointment.
Oral hygiene
Poor care for the baby's teeth contributes to the formation of plaque, in which pathogenic microorganisms constantly multiply. They cause bad breath in a child. 2 years is the time when the baby’s teeth continue to be cut, so it is extremely important not to prevent oral hygiene during this period. Parents should constantly take care of the cleanliness of the baby’s mouth. If he refuses to brush his teeth, then perhaps the reason is a toothbrush or toothpaste that he does not like. The sooner it is possible to formulate the right attitude to oral care, the faster the situation will be resolved related to bad breath.
Parents should monitor this process constantly. Sometimes they do this until the child is 7-10 years old.
Pathology of ENT organs
The oral cavity and adjacent organs affect the saliva content, its composition and properties. If chronic diseases of ENT organs appeared, then its viscosity increases. This is caused not only by the microflora of the oral cavity, but also by the habit of not closing your mouth. Saliva in normal condition cleans teeth from food debris. During sleep or mouth breathing, this process is disturbed. Instead of a method of cleaning teeth, saliva turns into a factor contributing to the multiplication of microorganisms and bad breath in a 2-year-old child.
Colds and ARI
With angina, the baby, along with fever, smells from his mouth, which becomes fetid. Children of 2 years of age are prone to the occurrence of such a pathology, because they begin to attend kindergarten, their immune system weakens.
Viral stomatitis is characterized by a viscous state of saliva, redness and swelling of the gums. When the tongue is damaged, a plaque appears on it, as well as pain during dental care and eating.
Bad breath in a child (2 years) occurs with stomatitis, which is characteristic of diseases such as chicken pox, scarlet fever and herperangin.
Dr. Komarovsky on the causes of odor
Factors causing stale breathing in a child can have a different nature. If the child is 2 years old, bad breath can be caused by the growth of bacteria. After all, microbes secrete waste products that smell like sulfur. Usually, saliva is detrimental to microorganisms, but if its properties and composition are changed, then they begin to multiply intensely. As a result, bacterial infections occur in the nose, bronchi and trachea.
According to Dr. Komarovsky, a child’s bad breath (2 years) cannot be caused by diseases of the gastrointestinal tract because it does not penetrate outward due to the closing valve of the stomach. But the food that was consumed by the baby can adversely affect the freshness of the breath. This usually occurs with garlic or onions. Such a smell should not cause concern, because it passes on its own.
Komarovsky believes that stale breathing in a child can occur with maxillary sinus disease. This is due to the appearance of pus in them. An unpleasant odor is present in tonsillitis and other inflammatory processes in the larynx and tonsils. Even a common cold causes the child to breathe through the nose, saliva dries up and pathogens develop.
The real cause of bad breath in a child (2 years) is the pathological condition of the teeth. If he has a swelling and redness of the gums, caries, then it is urgent to contact a pediatric dentist.
The doctor emphasizes that the specificity of this indicator also plays a role in determining the cause of bad breath. If you smell acetone, your child may develop diseases such as diabetes mellitus or gallbladder disease.
Komarovsky warns that the sweet smell should cause caution in parents, because it is accompanied by serious pathologies of the liver or kidneys.
In any case, the unpleasant breathing of the child is an occasion for urgent treatment in a medical institution.
With a change in the microflora of the oral cavity, according to Komarovsky, parents can cope on their own. To do this, it is necessary to maintain the humidity level in the room in the region of 50-70%. To do this, you need to purchase a humidifier.
To achieve a sufficient amount of saliva, the baby needs to constantly drink lemon water. It consists of ordinary water, lemon juice and a slice of lemon. The acidic environment can irritate the receptors, so there will be an active production of saliva, microbes will die.
If stale breathing occurs with a runny nose, the child needs to do salt washings and give more liquid in a warm form.
Diagnostics
If an unpleasant odor occurs, the child (2 years old or more, it does not matter) lead to the dentist. If the doctor does not observe any pathology associated with the teeth, then you need to contact an endocrinologist, gastroenterologist or otolaryngologist.
The baby is still too small to complain, but the smell usually captures the mother. When diagnosing, its nature is established - constant or periodic, the formation time (morning or evening).
It is important for the doctor to find out where the smell comes from. It happens that the study and analyzes did not reveal any pathology. Perhaps this is an individual feature of the child, which can be met very rarely. In this case, more careful monitoring of oral hygiene.
How to get rid of the smell?
If a child develops stale breathing, all measures should be taken in order to get rid of this symptom.
First of all, when a child smells from his mouth (2.5 years or more), he should be shown to a pediatrician to determine the exact cause. An effective treatment is usually prescribed by a doctor, the baby should not be treated on its own.
Mom can do the following:
- to normalize the composition of saliva, you need to create an appropriate microclimate in the children's room;
- give the child more water;
- constantly visit a doctor to check the condition of the oral cavity;
- if the nose is blocked, it is necessary to rinse it with saline.
In order to get rid of stale breath forever, you need to approach the solution of the problem comprehensively. The doctor prescribes the right treatment, but parents must also follow separate recommendations.
If the child is 2 years old, and there is a bad breath, he should not eat a lot of sweets. It is best to give honey, which has bactericidal properties, instead of sweets.
The kid needs to eat a large number of sour fruits. They cause increased salivation, significantly reduce odor.
Parents should follow regular oral hygiene, which should begin at the age of 6 months. To do this, you can buy special soft brushes. When a child grows up, he will learn to brush his teeth himself. How to properly clean the tongue and surface of the cheeks should be taught by his parents. Moms can do this by personal example.
It is good to rinse your mouth before going to bed with decoctions of medicinal plants, which will help improve the microflora of the oral cavity and freshen your breath.
Conclusion
In the prevention of unpleasant odors in a child, the observance of simple rules for caring for the oral cavity will be invaluable. Proper nutrition, the exclusion of sweets from the diet, and the inclusion of fresh fruits are important. These recommendations will greatly reduce the likelihood of odors. Sometimes this is not enough, so only a doctor can prescribe the correct treatment.