Opposing Oral Thrush

Your two-year-old daughter has a white film covering her tongue. When you try to wipe it off, she starts crying. She could have a case of oral thrush.

Oral thrush is an infection caused by an overgrowth of the Candida yeast. It’s not super common, but people who have diabetes, dry mouth or a depressed immune system are more at risk. Additional signs of the infection include redness, difficulty swallowing or cracking at the corners of the mouth.

Medications such as antibiotics and those that cause dry mouth can allow an overgrowth of the Candida albicans organism, causing the infection. In addition, people being treated for other conditions with steroids, chemotherapy or radiation have a higher risk of thrush. Poor oral hygiene can also be a factor especially for those who wear some type of denture.

In children, these lesions in the mouth or throat resemble formula. It can be wiped off but then you’re left with reddened areas that may be painful.

Thrush is a fungal infection that is opportunistic, meaning it affects patients whose immune systems are compromised or stressed.

Diagnosis of the condition may not be needed because thrush usually disappears on its own once you stop what causes it in the first place. For example, once you stop taking the antibiotics, the condition should be able to clear up within a couple of weeks.

To diagnose your condition, you are usually referred to an ear, nose and throat specialist (otolaryngologist). Your provider may want to rule out other conditions such as burning mouth syndrome (a burning sensation in the mouth that has no obvious cause) or geographic tongue (harmless patches on the top or sides of the tongue with no known cause). If it is thrush that your doctor has diagnosed, then he will generally recommend antifungal medications like nystatin oral suspension.

With clean hands, spread the medication on the spots with white patches. Always wash your hands after usage to prevent the spread of thrush. Wash your child’s clothes in hot water to kill any fungus that might be present.

In most cases, thrush isn’t harmful to your child. The biggest concern is the discomfort your child may be experiencing. If the thrush doesn’t clear up with treatment or if the thrush is accompanied by fever, consult your physician right away about what happens next. There are other alternatives to treating thrush.

You can prevent thrush from creating chaos in your mouth by practicing these steps:

·       See your dentist for a professional cleaning twice a year.

·       If you need steroid inhalers, make sure to rinse your mouth out after using them.

·       Keep yourself hydrated by drinking water so your mouth doesn't get dry.

·       Limit sugary foods yeast feeds on and make sure you maintain good blood sugar levels, especially if you are diabetic.

·       Quit smoking.

Other measures you can take are to brush your teeth twice a day and floss daily. If you wear dentures, they should be cleaned thoroughly every day and placed in water or a cleaning solution when not in use. It is important to clean the areas in the mouth where the dentures rest.

But remember thrush is almost always short-lived. So try to make your child as comfortable as possible in order to heal as quickly as possible.