3 Year Old Has Really Bad Breath!

You may want to take her to a doctor. Bad breath can be a symtom of something going on inside the body.

As others have said - she's not too young for a dentist visit. If her teeth are close together you should already be flossing every day (I fail miserably at that. And my son, at 3.5 years, had cavities between all of his molars to prove it - so it's not too young for cavities either.)

It could be an infection of some kind, or she could have something stuck up in her nose. Definitely take her to the dr and get it checked out.

Hi K.,

There are some really great suggestions on here, but maybe it's just something as simple as switching the type of toothpaste she's using. My daughter used to get "morning breath," and switching to Koala Pals helped. It's not sold in stores - you have to order online, but I'd be happy to walk you through that if you're interested. Just let me know.

C.

Does her tongue, cheeks and the roof of her mouth get brushed? most of the bad breath stuff is in those areas. Although I would also recommend the dentist or dr visit like the others suggested - this is something you can try in the meantime.

Good Luck!

Our son has terrible breath. Based on our experiences two possibilities come to mind...acid reflux (we ruled this out on our son) or being a mouth breather (we found out our son's adenoids are very large and are having them removed). I've heard from other mom's that mouth breathing can cause bad breath. Good luck to you!!!

You may want to have her nose checked, she could have stuffed something up it and it's lodged and creating a bacteria filled haven in there. I had a cousin take sponge and stuff it way up in the nasal cavity and her breath smelled horrid for weeks until she finally was able to tell us what she did. Because u couldn't see it unless u were looking for it, but couldn't get it out at home. She'd pushed on it trying to get it out with her finger.. I think she was about 3 at the time as well. It's either in her nose or further down as in a stomach issue. Either way a visit to a primary doc or ear, nose and throat specialist is in order.

Hope this helps your little lady.

Hi, I just heard about Tonsil Stones recently. Those Cottage Cheesey things we occasionally get in out mouths. Do a search on it. It's rather interesting. I think I saw it on Oprah and That was the BEST thing to watch!

possibly foreign object in the nose or sign of a sinus infection. My little sister when she was a baby got a piece of foam from her crib mattress lodged up her little nose when she was a baby and had the most horrible bad breath for like a week. This of course is a story coming from my mom. She called the dr & they told her foreign object in the nose. May want to speak to her dr. Good luck.

Take her to the doctor. Persistent bad breath is usually a sign of illness of some sort. This happened to my son and it turned out he had strep -- and I'd wasted a lot of time just brushing his teeth more often, and more carefully.

does she have allergies? nasal drainage causes bad breath even in little kids. my daughter deals with this too.

Hello,
Well being in the medical field that I am I would recommend speaking to her pediatrician to see if maybe some kind of stomach issue is at hand. Also watch her diet, decrease the acid foods you may give her like oranges, juices etc.
Sometimes watching diet will decrease the acid level in her tummy.
Don't worry just check into it with your Dr. She'll be fine.
Blessings

My sister's daughter had bad breath for months. Finally the Dr. found the remains of a raisin that she put up her nose, lodged in her nasal cavity.That was the cause for the bad breath. Sinus inections can also cause badbreath.

My son was about 5 when he had this same problem. We knew it wasn't an oral hygiene issue too. We finally figured out after taking him to the doctor that it was a sinus infection. I know now every time he has one, because he has that same dragon breath! Alot of times, a sinus infection will hold on forever without antibiotics. Good luck!

You didn't mention whether you'd taken her to a dentist or not. If not, 3 1/2 yrs old is not to young to go. I would try that first, then if that's fine, talk to your dr. Maybe your dr can refer you to a gastroenterologist. If she has an overactive tummy it may be contributing to the bad breath.

Have you had your daughter examined by her pediatrician? In children, smelly breath that persists throughout the day is most often the result of mouth breathing, which dries out the mouth and allows the bacteria to grow. Children who consistently breathe through their mouths might have colds, sinus infections, allergies, or enlarged tonsils or adenoids, which block the nasal passages. Thumb sucking or sucking on a blanket can also dry out the mouth.

Is your daughter being seen by a pediadontist? The recommended age to begin being seen by a pediadontist is three years old. Although, I began bringing my children to the pediadontist when their first tooth erupted. Does your daughter brush after each meal? Be sure she brushes her tongue, too. You might also try an electric toothbrush.

Good luck. Be gone, dragon breath!!

Might be something more going on. Strep throat? Cavities? Have it checked out with a DR. My son had a cavity at 3 so it is definitely possible no matter how good of a brusher you are. He had really deep molars - which we had sealants put in after the first cavity - that took care of that problem. :D

My advice is to check with your dentist. Never to early for their first chair ride, tooth count, and make friends with your dentist. And visit your doctor to check adnoids, tonsils, and a few other things.
With our son it was his adnoids!

My little girl, who is 2, has bad breath because she sleeps with her mouth closed. As do I. And my older daughter, as well. Even brushing before bed doesn't help.