Bad breath

Arrowhead

My wife’s breath keeps getting worse and worse. Tooth brushing is out and I’m afraid to give her hard mints. I’m open to suggestions.

SusanB-dil

Hi Arrowhead -

There is a Xylitol Gel that is a toothpaste that can be swallowed. Unfortunately, it does require a toothbrush... but throwing that out there just in case someone could use that info.

There are very few mouthwash products you can swallow.  Spry Kid's Alcohol Free Mouthwash you can.

Would she allow you to use those special Toothette swabs with warm water and baking soda on it?

Butterfly02

Hi Arrowhead 

This is my first time on the sight. I am reading to get more insight on this terrible disease. I am a full time caregiver for my MIL. She has vascular dementia. My son made mention to me that my MIL breath smells horrible even after brushing. Is this a normal symptom of dementia? 

LaurenB

A lot the bad breath can be located on the tongue.  would your LO allow you to brush their tongue or use a tongue scraper?  The other option is that the breath can be from tooth decay and may need to see a dentist.  If those aren't options, stay hydrated and see if listerine still sells the breath strips that dissolve on the tongue.  For my LO I have to brush her teeth for her with an electric toothbrush so that I don't have to move the brush around a lot, but let it do the work for me while slowly move the brush around her mouth.

ninalu

Arrowhead, 

Yes to bad breath. 

A couple things that help us a bit are:

- Biotene oral gel - it's made for health situations that cause dry mouth and the gel provides sustained moisture to rebalance the oral biome. Dry mouth can be a side effect of some medications that our LOs take. Biotene has xylitol, as SusanB-dil mentioned. I rub it on my LO's gums if she'll let me or just give a tad on a spoon.  

- Drinking fluids if dehydrated. This is a hard one, just like tooth brushing. We can't force fluids. 

Also, I notice that excess nasal & throat mucous (or the start of a respiratory infection) causes real stinker breath for my LO. I use a humidifier in the winter season to try to keep these nasal / throat secretions looser. Not sure if it helps or not, but it's a low-effort thing for us. 

Good luck!