Oral Thrush: The White Patches in My Mouth

Oral thrush is a yeast infection with the appearance of white patches inside of the mouth and tongue. Medically, this condition is also known as oral candidiasis or oropharyngeal candidiasis.

The culprit for oral thrush is Candida albicans, a fungus that exists in the mouth without causing disease in a healthy adult. However, a weakened immune system can disrupt the balance of “good” and “bad” microorganism in the oral cavity. The fungus can then begin to multiply, leading to higher risk of oral thrush among these individuals.

People with weakened immune system include those with:

• Diabetes, anemia, or HIV
• An illness that causes dry mouth
• Antibiotics or corticosteroids use
• Chemotherapy, radiation, or drugs to treat cancer
• Dentures
• The habit of smoking
• Recent organ transplant

What does it look like?

A full-blown oral thrush may appear with:

• Creamy white bumps on the tongue, inner cheeks, gums, or tonsils
• Slight bleeding when the bumps are scraped
• Pain at the bumps
• Angular cheilitis, or dry, cracked skin at the corners of the mouth
• Difficulty swallowing
• A bad taste in the mouth

How to treat oral thrush?

Usually, oral thrush can be treated with antifungals to prevent the growth and spread of the fungus. With appropriate treatment, oral thrush should go away within one or two weeks. However, someone with a compromised immune system may experience repeated episodes of oral thrush. Therefore, if you have recurring oral thrush, consult a doctor for an underlying condition that may have weakened your immune system.

Besides that, other self-care tips to manage oral thrush are:

• Brush your teeth using toothbrush with soft bristles to avoid scraping the lesions.
• Clean your dentures properly.
• Don’t use mouthwashes or mouth sprays (unless prescribed).
• Maintain appropriate blood sugar levels (if diabetic).
• Use a saltwater mixture to rinse the mouth. (1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of salt in a glass of warm water)
• Eat unsweetened yogurt to help rebuild and maintain healthy levels of good bacteria.

Reference

Oral thrush. [Internet] [cited 2018 October 20] Available from: https://www.healthline.com/health/thrush

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Tags

• hiv
• Oral thrush