Very bad breath.

londonsurrey

Flossing is very important. Just try sniffing the stuff you get out when flossing, and you begin to understand why it's so essential.

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

Is she actually eating much? If she is starving herself most the time, her breath will be foul - ask anyone who has been on the Atkins Diet.

Other than that, check she isn't vomiting up the junk in secret - a bulimic will often have rancid breath as the stomach juices dissolve their teeth.

And a check for adenoid/tonsil problems is a good idea - they don't just go manky at the front, the hidden bits can be foul.

Oh, and check gum hygiene, as trapped food in gum pockets can stink.

McKneff

Does she go to the dentist regularly.

If not she really needs to go and he/she will sort her out, but you would be best mentioning it.

What age is she, and is she aware of it.

And using Tepe brushes is far easier and better than flossing.

flossing just removes debris between the teeth, tepe brushes actually cleans the surfaces inbetween the teeth.

belfastgirl23

I think her first stop needs to be the dentist. If it's 'mouth' related they are definitely the specialists and I would like to think that if it's a mouth related medical problem they will recognise it and send her back to the GP.

Toothsmith

Dentists do teeth AND mouth related medical problems.

If it's anything to do with the mouth, the dentist is the person to see. If it's anything that needs specialist attention, ENT, Gastric, etc, then we can pass it on.

If she's only spending 20-30 seconds with a toothbrush though, I think that might be the starting point.

peachyprice

Jojo_the_Tightfisted wrote: »

Is she actually eating much? If she is starving herself most the time, her breath will be foul - ask anyone who has been on the Atkins Diet.

Other than that, check she isn't vomiting up the junk in secret - a bulimic will often have rancid breath as the stomach juices dissolve their teeth.

Have to say, this was also the thing that sprung to my mind.

Other than that, has she had any extractions that have left deep recesses? My oh has a 'dip' in his gum where he had a wisdom tooth removed when younger, he has to make sure nothing gets trapped in it, especially meat.

[Deleted User]

Hi,

if she's only brushing for 20/30 secs, maybe if you got her an electric tooth brush with the 2 minute timer, she would spend longer.

welshdent

I think the first point of contact should be the dentist not the GP. There seems to be a great deal of advice to see GPs when there are mouth problems other than teeth. GPs do less than 2 weeks of training on the mouth so its a waste of your time and theirs despite the best intentions.

A dentist can refer on to any related specialist that the GP can so i`d pop along there to eliminate any gum or tooth problems which are the most likely causes and if that doesnt do the trick then a referral onwards can be arranged.

custardy

get her to the hygenist and get a good descale done
he/she can show her how to brush/floss
I used to floss but it turned out i was being far too gentle
a session with the hygenist showed me what to do