Bad Breath in Children, What Causes it?

Bad breath or halitosis is a condition that is often found in adults and children. Bad breath in children can not be underestimated, because it can cause a large psychological impact. Children with bad breath can become less confident, embarrassed, even shunned in social life.
Causes of bad breath in children

Bad breath cannot be eliminated if we don't identify and eliminate the root cause completely. Some of the common causes of bad breath in children include:
1. cavity and gum disease

About 85% of halitosis is caused by problems in the oral cavity. The most common locations if the cause is the tongue, teeth and gums. (White coating on the tongue), cavities, inflammation of the gums and supporting tissues of the teeth can cause severe bad breath in children. This is due to the collection of bacteria in food debris and dental plaque.
2. Infection of the upper respiratory tract

Bad breath in children is usually due to upper respiratory tract infections, such as influenza, post nasal drip (nasal nasal discharge), and allergies. Fluid that flows into the throat and tongue contains bacteria that produce sulfur compounds.

This component causes bad breath in children. Children with asthma can also have bad breath when taking corticosteroid medications regularly. This drug suppresses the body's immunity and is therefore sensitive caused by fungus in the oral cavity.
3. tonsillitis

Tonsillitis or inflammation of the tonsils (tonsillectomy) is a common disease in children. The rest of the food is collected in crevices (crypt) in the tonsils which causes bad breath. In addition to bad breath, strep throat, difficulty swallowing, hoarseness is a common symptom found in children with tonsillitis.
4. Dry Mouth

Bad breath can also occur in children with dry mouth. A common cause of dry mouth in children is oral habitual respirators due to enlarged tonsils which block the flow of air to breathe. Breathing through the mouth that causes the mouth to become dry and become a den of bacteria that causes bad breath in children.

Breathing through the mouth can also cause infection in the oral cavity. Besides mouth breathing, other conditions that cause dry mouth are decreased production of saliva, sleep, dehydration, certain drugs and chemotherapy. Saliva plays an important role in the fight against bacteria in the oral cavity.
How to maintain a healthy mouth
Among the various causes of the above problems in the oral cavity is a common cause of bad breath in children. Therefore, oral health must be maintained as follows:

1. Brush your teeth at least twice a day, after eating and before going to bed. Do it with the right technique for a period of 3-5 minutes. When brushing your teeth, don't forget to clean between your teeth with dental floss or dental floss and brush your tongue area.
2. routine checkups to the dentist at least every six months.
3. Reduce foods and drinks that contain sugar, and drink lots of water. If you want to hide bad breath after eating foods with a strong odor, choose candy or gum that does not contain sugar. Chew sugarless gum to stimulate saliva production.

Symptoms of bad breath can be removed with proper treatment, according to the cause. The use of bad breath remover products such as sweets only mask bad breath and can affect oral health if consumed continuously. Check the dentist if bad breath does not improve within a few weeks.

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