All doors lead back to here

[LaurieG]

I was just browsing the dental section trying to figure out why my 4 yr old ds has such bad breath. The discussion I was reading focused on gut health being the issue, so I left dental and came back here where I spend 95% of my MDC time anyway.

So ladies, how 'bout it? This is the ds I've posted about a few times. Quick summary of his health issues - he had colitis as an infant, elimination of dairy didn't get rid of it and I never tried eliminating anything else. Now his poops are awesome but he has a malabsorption issue I think - he's been slightly anemic most of his life and it doesn't seem to matter how much iron we supplement. And he has brown teeth that don't come clean no matter how much you scrub (even after a cleaning at the dentist - its better but not gone). And he has really bad breath much of the time no matter how recently he has brushed.

He used to be a really happy, easy going little guy but now he's angry all the time. But since this is new and his diet hasn't changed significantly I'm thinking he doesn't have any behavioral symptoms related to intolerances / gut issues. I think he's mad at me for focusing on dd all the time. (Sorry, that was totally OT)

Anyhow, who knows about this bad breath/ gut health connection? What can you tell me?

[WuWei]

Yep.

Did you see the thread "Curing Cavities with Nutrition"? It is a sticky at the top of the Dental forum: http://www.mothering.com/discussions...d.php?t=399989

And this one, Healing Early Childhood Tooth Decay Naturally:
http://www.mothering.com/discussions...d.php?t=529174

And this mama lists what she did to cure a cavity: http://www.mothering.com/discussions....php?t=1006740

(It all has to do with the ph of the mouth and which bacteria thrive when it is optimal vs. which bacteria thrive when the ph is too acidic.)


Pat

[Chinese Pistache]

Originally Posted by LaurieG

I was just browsing the dental section trying to figure out why my 4 yr old ds has such bad breath. The discussion I was reading focused on gut health being the issue, so I left dental and came back here where I spend 95% of my MDC time anyway.

So ladies, how 'bout it? This is the ds I've posted about a few times. Quick summary of his health issues - he had colitis as an infant, elimination of dairy didn't get rid of it and I never tried eliminating anything else. Now his poops are awesome but he has a malabsorption issue I think - he's been slightly anemic most of his life and it doesn't seem to matter how much iron we supplement. And he has brown teeth that don't come clean no matter how much you scrub (even after a cleaning at the dentist - its better but not gone). And he has really bad breath much of the time no matter how recently he has brushed.

He used to be a really happy, easy going little guy but now he's angry all the time. But since this is new and his diet hasn't changed significantly I'm thinking he doesn't have any behavioral symptoms related to intolerances / gut issues. I think he's mad at me for focusing on dd all the time. (Sorry, that was totally OT)

Anyhow, who knows about this bad breath/ gut health connection? What can you tell me?

What foods does she eat a lot of? Would you be wiling to try an elimination diet with her? Or a rotation diet? Anemia is sometimes related to intestinal bleeding (gut inflammation), so you might be looking at food, yeast, or other irritants that are upsetting the balance of bacteria in her gut (and leading to dental problems).

[LaurieG]

Thanks, Pat, for the links. I hadn't seen those yet!

From what I've been reading, I'm not sure we're actually dealing with dental issues at all. Discolored teeth like DS (as opposed to stained teeth) can be a sign of malnutrition/ malabsorption. And the thread I was reading last night about bad breath was saying it almost always related to either enlarged tonsils or problems with the gut. I guess the gasses travel up from the GI track.

CP - I am totally open to trying an ED with him but getting everyone else on board will be a struggle (DH, both grandmas, DS, etc). Still its a struggle I will take on if I feel like I have a plan based in something concrete and right now I don't. I have no idea what to start with in terms of EDs. The symptoms I've identified are not short-term symptoms so I have no feedback system to help figure out which foods are being tolerated. The only exception would be the bad breath - maybe that would give me a clue.

He's a mac and cheese addict so maybe milk and wheat/ gluten should be my first step.

[tanyalynn]

My daughter had enlarged tonsils as a sign of food intolerance, they went down to what I think is normal size within about a month of removing gluten and dairy.

This afternoon I was considering posting asking about allergies/gut issues for my husband, who doesn't have specific symptoms with any foods (hasn't even gotten better since we've been gfcf for 1.5yrs). I'm toying with the idea of GAPS, focusing on a healing diet rather than whatever allergies he may have (I see enough hints that his gut is off that I think it's at least yeat/gut imbalances, I'd have to test to figure out what, if any, specific foods we're dealing with). Have you considered something like that (GAPS, I mean)?

[LaurieG]

What is GAPS? It's not ringing a bell.

Never mind - I just found the thread about it. I have considered SCD for me and dd but my brain hadn't gotten to trying ds on it. Hmm...

[tanyalynn]

I am just so leery of dairy that GAPS seems a better fit for us. And since I'm a weenie, our whole household is going to be doing it--I think dairy may cause subtle problem for me and maybe my son for a while, so none for my husband. How's that for dictatorial?

[Chinese Pistache]

Originally Posted by TanyaLopez

I am just so leery of dairy that GAPS seems a better fit for us. And since I'm a weenie, our whole household is going to be doing it--I think dairy may cause subtle problem for me and maybe my son for a while, so none for my husband. How's that for dictatorial?