How to treat oral thrush?

Oral thrush is a condition in which the fungus Candida albicans accumulates on the lining of the mouth, causing damage to the teeth, tongue or inner cheeks. It can affect anyone, but is most commonly associated with denture wearers, young children, inhaled corticosteroid users, or people with compromised immune systems.

Initially, oral thrush usually has no noticeable symptoms, the symptoms often appear suddenly but actually exist for a long time, including:
Appearance of white cream lesions on the tongue and cheeks inside and sometimes on the roof of the mouth, gums, tonsils Cottage cheese-like lesions Pain, bleeding if the lesion is rubbed or scraped Cracked at the corner of the mouth Cottony feeling in the mouth, loss of taste Lesions may spread down the esophagus in severe cases causes difficulty swallowing or food gets stuck in the throat

People with oral thrush and candida infections often have weakened immune systems, because the disease or drugs such as prednisolone or antibiotics upset the natural balance of microorganisms in the body. In addition, some patients with HIV, cancer, diabetes or vaginal yeast infections are also at high risk of oral thrush.
Oral thrush is not usually a serious problem for healthy children and adults. However, for HIV patients, symptoms can be more severe, causing pain when eating and difficulty swallowing. If the fungus spreads to other organs such as the digestive tract, lungs and liver, it can also significantly affect the function of these organs

The principle of oral thrush treatment is to prevent the rapid spread of the fungus but depends on your age, general health and the cause of the infection. Treatment is based on the following:
3.1 Neonates and lactating mothers Both infants and nursing mothers should be treated to exclude the possibility of re-infection. Use mild antifungal medications for the baby and antifungal creams for the mother's breasts.
If the child uses a pacifier, it is necessary to wash the nipple in a specialized water solution daily and dry it to prevent the growth of fungus. In addition, if using a breast pump, wash the removable, parts that come into contact with milk in a vinegar and water solution
3.2 Healthy adults and children These subjects can simply eat Unsweetened yogurt or taking acidophilus capsules to restore the normal bacteria in the body as well as using antifungal medication prescribed by the doctor to improve the condition better.
3.3 People with weakened immune systems Antifungal drugs including tablets, tablets or liquids are often used in these people. However, Candida albicans may be resistant to antifungal drugs in patients with end-stage HIV. At this time, amphotericin B can be used instead of other drugs.
It should be noted that some antifungal drugs can cause liver damage, so it is necessary to test the patient's liver function before giving the drug and long-term treatment in people with a history of liver disease.

In fact, oral thrush is not a dangerous disease, but if you don't treat oral thrush, you can develop a systemic Candida infection, which can seriously affect your health and life. Therefore, when noticing the early signs of the disease, the patient should go to medical facilities for examination and timely treatment.
Vinmec International General Hospital is a high-quality medical examination and treatment address, with a team of qualified doctors with high quality pharmaceutical, medical, and high-tech equipment. Customers who have any health problems can contact a doctor for advice and appropriate indications.