bad breath/cutting teeth/ reflux

The other day I noticed that my son had horrible breath when he woke up from a nap. Then I noticed it again twice since then, once when he woke for the day and once right after a nap. He has a history of reflux and I have had reflux problems from a very young age through the present. I was concerned that laying down may be what brings this on. However, I inspected and noticed that he is definitely cutting a tooth in the back. When I looked for information online, some people said that their kids get very bad breath when cutting teeth but some people said that alone should not cause bad breath. We do brush his teeth but we use toddler toothpaste. I read that those toothpastes don't help with odors as much as adults toothpastes do. I am also concerned because my husband is diabetic and there is a specific scent that a person gets on the breath when their sugar levels are high. I think it is a sweeter smell than what my son has but we do need to watch him.

Is the bad breath just from cutting a tooth? My cousin is a dentist but everyone is always bugging him with dental questions so I try not to. Should I call him tomorrow? Should I call the ped? Does he need another workup for GERD? He had it as a baby.

Re: bad breath/cutting teeth/ reflux

I believe when a person has diabetes, their breath is fruity...
Does your son have a cold or allergies? Especially with the change in the weather, if he does, he could be sleeping with his mouth open & that definitely can cause bad breath. I have noticed my son's breath getting stinky when he wakes up, but his seems to be a function of getting older-smelly big kid breath replacing baby breath.
My son also had GERD as a baby, I would imagine that if that was the issue, he wouldn't feel well. It wouldn't hurt to call & speak to the ped, just to bounce the idea off him/her.