Does my 17 month old son have a tooth infection?!
Question: My son is 17 months old. He has been teething for about 1 week or so. He is grouchy as suspected. However I have noticed that his breath is a quite smelly. Could he possibly have a tooth infection or is this normal? Please help!!!!!
*His breath smell this way all the time, even after I brush his teeth. Also the last time that I brushed his teeth, I noticed his gums were bleeding a bit.
Answers: My son is 17 months old. He has been teething for about 1 week or so. He is grouchy as suspected. However I have noticed that his breath is a quite smelly. Could he possibly have a tooth infection or is this normal? Please help!!!!!
*His breath smell this way all the time, even after I brush his teeth. Also the last time that I brushed his teeth, I noticed his gums were bleeding a bit.
I'm a dentist.
It's unlikely that he has an infection. Nonetheless, if you're unsure, you should take him to a doctor (either his pediatrician or your dentist) to have him evaluated. You're probably better off seeing the dentist, as in my experience I have found that most physicians are pathologically inept at diagnosing oral/dental diseases.
A few things for you to consider:
Babies can have morning breath too (although it's generall not quite as bad as that of adults).
The types of bacteria that reside in a child's mouth (i.e. the oral flora) change over time. The adult oral cavity is THE MOST bacteria-ridden area in our body. When I say "the most", I don't intend it as a figure of speech. Our anuses don't have as diverse a variety of bacteria as our mouths do.
Why are our mouths so bacteria-ridden? Because there are lots of different environments in our mouths. There are bacteria that live on the surface of our teeth; bacteria that live in the grooves of our teeth; those that live deep in the decay we may have; bacteria that live on our teeth below our gumline; bacteria that live in our gingiva next to our teeth; bacteria that live on our tongue; in our throats; in our sinuses, and so on and so forth.
A newborn does not have all of these environments, but as their teeth grow in, they develop them. As such, they become susceptible to the odors (and infections) caused by bacteria that reside in these various environments. Hence, the odor your smelling on your son's breath may just be the kind of bad breath that some adults have. But without seeing him myself, I certainly cannot rule out infection.
It is also important for you to remember that halitosis is not just caused by bacteria indigenous to the oral cavity. Sinus infections can also cause bad breath, as can gastrointestinal problems.
I would recommend the following:
1. Spend a bit more time brushing his teeth, including the teething areas. Make sure you are doing a thorough job.
2. Cut out the milk bottle or juice bottle at night when he is put in his crib (if you're giving it to him). At this age, he does not need nourishment overnight. Exposing his mouth to sugars after at this time only promotes bacterial growth.
3. If doing this for a couple days doesn't improve the smell, take him to the dentist.
4. If the dentist rules out oral diseases, take him to his pediatrician.
5. If at any time your child develops a fever and/or appears sick to you, take him to his pediatrician. As I understand it, teething may cause elevated temperature, but not fever or malaise.
Good luck.
Take him to the doctor.
u should EVEN be ON yahoo answers.
we r not cert. physicians, we only have opinions.
Ur child is very young, and if u value his health you would have taken him in at the first sign of discomfort.
I dont want to label u as negligent mother, so please change my mind and just take ur kid to the doctor for his sake ASAP!!!
It won't hurt to get it checked out by a dentist.
I would have to agree with the others, take your son to the Dr., not the dentist. He could have some other health problem not related to teeth. In my opinion the only way your child's gums would be bleeding is because he never gets his teeth brushed and eats and drinks way to much sugar. The more sugar in the diet, the more plaque that will develop. Fruit juices and even milk will create sugar acids and plaque.
Your son could have a problem in his sinuses and or stomach that could create odors in the mouth. Diabetes will have a very pungent, acidic smell.
If you look in his mouth, is there a red, swollen area on the gums. Possibly even pus? This would most likely be visible to you if there was a dental problem and causing odor.
sounds like a sign of infection in the gums. I definately would take him to the dentist. He could lose his bone mass if an infection set in the gums somewhere.