Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsWhat to KnowIdentificationTreatmentWorsening ThrushOral Care With ThrushEating With Thrush
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
What to Know
Identification
Treatment
Worsening Thrush
Oral Care With Thrush
Eating With Thrush
It is most commonly found in infants and toddlers who breastfeed, but it can develop at any age, often due to wearing dentures or having various health conditions, such asuncontrolled diabetesorleukemia. Treatment is centered around using antifungal medications.
This article discusses the causes, identification, and treatment of oral thrush.
Liudmila Chernetska / Getty Images
What to Know About Oral Thrush
Oral thrush is common in infants and toddlers but can develop to anyone at any age. It appears as a white coating on the tongue .
The infection is typically mild and doesn’t lead to long-term adverse complications, but babies and nursing parents can pass the infection to one another if it is not treated adequately.
A Word From Verywell
—EDMUND KHOO, DDS, MEDICAL EXPERT BOARD
What Causes It?
The cause of oral thrush is an overgrowth of theCandida albicansfungus. The fungus isn’t typically harmful, but it can lead to symptoms when itgrows out of control.
How It Is Acquired
Is Oral Thrush an STI?While oral thrush can be acquired through oral sex in rare cases, it is not considered a sexually transmitted infection (STI), sometimes referred to as a sexually transmitted disease (STD).
Is Oral Thrush an STI?
While oral thrush can be acquired through oral sex in rare cases, it is not considered a sexually transmitted infection (STI), sometimes referred to as a sexually transmitted disease (STD).
Who Is Susceptible to Infection?
Oral thrush can develop in people with a compromised immune system. Chemotherapy is also a known risk factor for developing oral thrush.
People living with underlying health conditions, such asdiabetesorhypothyroidism, may also be more susceptible to oral thrush. People with compromised immune systems are also more likely to get oral thrush.
Being deficient in iron or B12 could also drive the onset ofCandidaovergrowth, as do viral infections, such ashuman immunodeficiency virus (HIV).
What Causes a Ranula (Cyst Under the Tongue) and How Is It Treated?
Symptom Duration With Treatment
Withtreatment, symptoms should clear up within two weeks. Treatment requires the use ofantifungal medicationsthat can be applied topically as a gel or liquid or taken orally in tablet or capsule form.
Causes and Risk Factors of Thrush
Identifying Oral Thrush Infection
There are several visual characteristics of oral thrush in the mouth that you can use to determine whether you need to see a medical professional for testing. They include:
On the Tongue
Oral thrush on the tongue will appear as awhite coating. If scraped off using a tongue depressor, the underlying skin on the tongue will be red and inflamed. There may also be slight bleeding.
Throat
The throat will be red and inflamed in a person with oral thrush. It may also be covered in a white coating.
Cheeks
When the cheeks are affected, they will be red and inflamed. White and yellow spots on the inside of the cheeks may also be present.
Other Associated Symptoms
Additional symptoms include:
Infants and Oral Thrush SymptomsIn infants, look for these signs of oral thrush:Diaper RashMood changesRefusing to eat
Infants and Oral Thrush Symptoms
In infants, look for these signs of oral thrush:Diaper RashMood changesRefusing to eat
In infants, look for these signs of oral thrush:
Normal Tongue vs. Oral Thrush and Other Conditions
Factors Influencing Oral Thrush Treatment Effectiveness
Oral thrush can go away on its own, but only in mild cases.
The primary treatment is antifungals. Antifungals used can include:
Nystatinand miconazole are typically used topically for mild infections, and they often take a long time to eradicate the overgrowth of the bacteria.
Oral fluconazoleis used when topical medications do not eliminate the overgrowth. Systemic antifungals given intravenously or orally are used when systemic infection occurs (i.e., the infection spreads to the entire body) or if the infection is particularly severe. They include:
Curbing Symptoms During Treatment
Is Oral Thrush Getting Worse? How to Tell
The symptoms of an oral thrush infection will continue to worsen if you do not seek adequate treatment. The infection can last for months or even years.
In some cases, you may not experience severe symptoms of oral thrush, such as difficulty eating or swallowing, but will notice, as it worsens, that these symptoms develop. That’s why it’s vital to start treatment at the first sign of symptoms.
Oral Thrush and SepsisSepsisis a systemic blood infection that can develop if oral thrush is not treated and the fungi manage to get into the circulatory system. However, this is a rare complication of oral thrush.
Oral Thrush and Sepsis
Sepsisis a systemic blood infection that can develop if oral thrush is not treated and the fungi manage to get into the circulatory system. However, this is a rare complication of oral thrush.
Repeat Oral Thrush Infection After Treatment
Even after treatment, oral thrush can return. This can happen if treatment is not strong enough, if the full course of antibiotics is not finished, or simply due to other risk factors associated with the onset of oral thrush.
Some factors that may drive oral thrush recurrence include:
Is Thrush Contagious?
How to Brush Teeth With Oral Thrush
When you have oral thrush, it’s essential to maintainoral hygiene.
To do so, gently brush your teeth and gums with a toothpaste that contains fluoride, avoiding the white spots in the mouth and tongue.
How to Eat With Oral Thrush
If you have a severe oral thrush infection that’s causing pain in the mouth and throat or that makes it difficult to eat, you can:
Summary
Oral thrush is not typically severe, but if left untreated, it can worsen over time. The signs of oral thrush, such as a white coating or white spots in the mouth, redness, and pain, all indicate a need to see a healthcare provider.
Once diagnosed, oral thrush is treated using antifungal medications. The type and strength will be chosen depending on the symptoms and severity. To curb symptoms while waiting for the infection to clear, people can rinse their mouths using salt water, eat soft foods, and avoid brushing the white areas in the mouth while brushing their teeth.
8 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Cedars Sinai.Candida infection: Thrush.Informed Health.Overview: Oral thrush.Vila T, Sultan AS, Montelongo-Jauregui D, Jabra-Rizk MA.Oral candidiasis: A disease of opportunity.J Fungi (Basel).2020 Jan 16;6(1):15. doi:10.3390/jof6010015NHS Inform.Oral thrush in adults.Johns Hopkins Medicine.Yeast infection.Mount Sinai.Thrush in newborns.Quindós G, Gil-Alonso S, Marcos-Arias C, Sevillano E, Mateo E, Jauregizar N, Eraso E.Therapeutic tools for oral candidiasis: Current and new antifungal drugs.Med Oral Patol Oral Cir Bucal.2019 Mar 1;24(2):e172-e180. doi:10.4317/medoral.22978Darwazeh, Azmi M. G., Darwazeh, Tamer A.What makes oral candidiasis recurrent infection? A clinical view.Journal of Mycology. 2014;2014:5. doi:10.1155/2014/758394
8 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Cedars Sinai.Candida infection: Thrush.Informed Health.Overview: Oral thrush.Vila T, Sultan AS, Montelongo-Jauregui D, Jabra-Rizk MA.Oral candidiasis: A disease of opportunity.J Fungi (Basel).2020 Jan 16;6(1):15. doi:10.3390/jof6010015NHS Inform.Oral thrush in adults.Johns Hopkins Medicine.Yeast infection.Mount Sinai.Thrush in newborns.Quindós G, Gil-Alonso S, Marcos-Arias C, Sevillano E, Mateo E, Jauregizar N, Eraso E.Therapeutic tools for oral candidiasis: Current and new antifungal drugs.Med Oral Patol Oral Cir Bucal.2019 Mar 1;24(2):e172-e180. doi:10.4317/medoral.22978Darwazeh, Azmi M. G., Darwazeh, Tamer A.What makes oral candidiasis recurrent infection? A clinical view.Journal of Mycology. 2014;2014:5. doi:10.1155/2014/758394
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Cedars Sinai.Candida infection: Thrush.Informed Health.Overview: Oral thrush.Vila T, Sultan AS, Montelongo-Jauregui D, Jabra-Rizk MA.Oral candidiasis: A disease of opportunity.J Fungi (Basel).2020 Jan 16;6(1):15. doi:10.3390/jof6010015NHS Inform.Oral thrush in adults.Johns Hopkins Medicine.Yeast infection.Mount Sinai.Thrush in newborns.Quindós G, Gil-Alonso S, Marcos-Arias C, Sevillano E, Mateo E, Jauregizar N, Eraso E.Therapeutic tools for oral candidiasis: Current and new antifungal drugs.Med Oral Patol Oral Cir Bucal.2019 Mar 1;24(2):e172-e180. doi:10.4317/medoral.22978Darwazeh, Azmi M. G., Darwazeh, Tamer A.What makes oral candidiasis recurrent infection? A clinical view.Journal of Mycology. 2014;2014:5. doi:10.1155/2014/758394
Cedars Sinai.Candida infection: Thrush.
Informed Health.Overview: Oral thrush.
Vila T, Sultan AS, Montelongo-Jauregui D, Jabra-Rizk MA.Oral candidiasis: A disease of opportunity.J Fungi (Basel).2020 Jan 16;6(1):15. doi:10.3390/jof6010015
NHS Inform.Oral thrush in adults.
Johns Hopkins Medicine.Yeast infection.
Mount Sinai.Thrush in newborns.
Quindós G, Gil-Alonso S, Marcos-Arias C, Sevillano E, Mateo E, Jauregizar N, Eraso E.Therapeutic tools for oral candidiasis: Current and new antifungal drugs.Med Oral Patol Oral Cir Bucal.2019 Mar 1;24(2):e172-e180. doi:10.4317/medoral.22978
Darwazeh, Azmi M. G., Darwazeh, Tamer A.What makes oral candidiasis recurrent infection? A clinical view.Journal of Mycology. 2014;2014:5. doi:10.1155/2014/758394
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