Q. My 11-year-old daughter had terrible breath. The dentist said that it wasn’t coming from her teeth and referred us to an ENT (ear nose and throat doctor).
The ENT said he suspected that the small sinus cavities on either side of her nose had developed fungal infections. To treat it, he prescribed a nasal spray that is a mixture of fluconazole and triamcinolone. She used it twice a day, and within two days her bad breath was gone.
Now whenever her breath starts to get bad again, we have her use the nose spray and it clears up.
A. Sinus infections can be viral, bacterial or fungal. Symptoms may include bad breath as well as nasal congestion and an impaired sense of smell.
Your experience is interesting, although we could find no studies of this treatment.
Fluconazole is often used to fight fungal infections. Triamcinolone is a corticosteroid that calms inflammation. It may be better known by its brand name Nasacort. This nasal spray used to be available only by prescription for allergy symptoms. It recently became available over the counter as Nasacort Allergy 24HR.
Nasacort (triamcinolone) Side Effects:
- Sore throat
- Nose bleeds
- Headaches
- Cough
- Nausea, vomiting
- Infections (ear, sinus, mouth, throat) in kids
- Perforation of the dividing cartilage (septum) between the nostrils
- Prolonged use may increase the risk for cataracts and/or glaucoma
