Infant bad breath seems to be impossible, but then anyone with a mouth can have bad breath and babies or infants are no exception. Although, when this happen to an infant it will be quite alarming but a parent should first try some preventive measures before speeding off to the pediatrician.
When an infant snoozes with his mouth open, that could be one of the causes. Saliva is the body’s natural mouthwash, so when the baby sleeps with his mouth open, saliva will be reduced or dry up. When this happen, the bacteria, which are present in everyone’s mouth, will have a higher count than normal. The more there are bacteria, the greater is the risk of developing a bad breath, even in babies. This phenomenon is called “baby bad breath”.
Another cause of infant bad breath could be the baby’s habit of thumb sucking. The more frequent that the baby sucks his thumb the drier his mouth becomes, that act will eventually lead to the intensified growth of bacteria inside his mouth. Therefore, causing bad breath.
In addition, when an infant’s pacifier or toy that he usually chews on or suck, will have dried up saliva cover the play thing. When a parent left the toy unwash, all the dried up substance that were left , like the bacteria and saliva, will have a chance to go right back into the baby’s mouth, once she suckle or chew at this again and the development of the infant bad breath will be on the offing.
Lack of hygiene will definitely cause bad breath; the natural bacteria that thrive in the baby’s mouth will intermingle with the leftover food particles that stayed in the mouth, the tongue, on the baby’s throat and gum line. If the baby’s mouth will not be brush or cleanse, especially for a long time, bad breath will occur.
The last cause of bad breath among babies is allergies or a disease. An illness like tonsillitis, allergies or sinus infection can be a reason for bad breath.
In the event of the infant’s bad breath persisted, here’s what you can do:
Remember that a good oral hygiene is still the best solution even for infants. Brush your baby’s gums and teeth, if there’s any, with a soft toothbrush specifically made for a baby. Otherwise, just wipe the gums and tongue every after feeding.
Also, cleanse your baby's hands often with warm water and soap whenever he sucks his thumb or put his fingers inside his mouth.
Don’t forget to sterilize baby’s pacifier and bottle nipples. Sterilize it by placing it in boiling water for a few minutes.
If you've done everything that you can and these suggestions didn’t help or improve your baby’s condition, then it’s time to bring him to a pediatrician for a check-up because there might be some other underlying factors that is causing the bad breath, such as a disease.
Bear in mind that a bad breath in an infant is not normal as they should be breathing sweet and not foul-smelling.
