OVERVIEW

Oral thrush is a fungal infection of the mouth. It is also called oral candidiasis, oropharyngeal candidiasis, or simply thrush. The scientific name for the fungus that most often causes oral thrush is Candida albicans.

This fungus is a normal part of the human gastrointestinal tract and is present in the mouth, gut, and vagina. However, when the body’s natural balance is disturbed, the fungus can grow out of control and cause infection.

Oral thrush is most common in infants and toddlers, elderly adults, and people with weakened immune systems. It can also occur in healthy people, particularly if they have recently taken antibiotics. The symptoms of oral thrush include white patches on the tongue and inside the cheeks, redness, and soreness.

SYMPTOMS

The signs and symptoms of oral thrush may include the following:

• Creamy white lesions on your tongue, inner cheeks, and sometimes on the roof of your mouth, gums and tonsils.
• Slightly raised lesions with a cottage cheese-like appearance.
• Redness, burning or soreness that may be severe enough to cause difficulty eating or swallowing.
• Slight bleeding if the lesions are rubbed or scraped.
• Cracking and redness at the corners of your mouth.
• A cottony feeling in your mouth.
• Loss of taste.
• Redness, irritation and pain under dentures (denture stomatitis).

CAUSES

Normally, your immune system works to repel harmful invading organisms, such as viruses, bacteria and fungi, while maintaining a balance between “good” and “bad” microbes that normally inhabit your body. But sometimes these protective mechanisms fail, increasing the number of candida fungus and allowing an oral thrush infection to take hold.

The most common type of candida fungus is Candida albicans. Several factors, such as a weakened immune system, can increase your risk of oral thrush.

TREATMENT

Available treatments we offer:

• Fluconazole
• Nystatin
• Clotrimazole
• Miconazole