Oral Health Center
Thrush - Home Treatment
Thrush is a yeast infection that can develop in the mouth and throat and on the tongue. Thrush is most common in newborns, infants, and older adults, but it can occur at any age. In healthy newborns and infants, thrush is usually not a serious problem and is easily treated and cured.
If your child has mild thrush, you may only need to clean bottle nipples and pacifiers regularly and massage the inside of your child's mouth with a clean moist cloth. If you are breast-feeding, you should clean your nipples with an antifungal medicine, such as nystatin (Mycostatin). You should also dry your nipples after breast-feeding. Apply lanolin lotion, which may help relieve nipple soreness.
Understanding Tonsillitis -- Symptoms
Symptoms for tonsillitis include: A very sore throat with red, swollen tonsils; there may be a white discharge or spots on the tonsils Swollen and tender lymph nodes in the neck under the jaw A low-grade fever, headache, and/or stomache ache accompanying the other symptoms Symptoms for tonsillar abscess: In addition to inflamed tonsils, severe pain and tenderness around the area of the soft palate, at the roof of the mouth, and difficulty opening the mouth or swallowing Dis...
Read the Understanding Tonsillitis -- Symptoms article > >
If you develop thrush and have false teeth (dentures), it is important to clean your mouth and dentures every night.
- Remove your dentures before going to bed.
- Scrub them well with a clean toothbrush and water.
- Soak them overnight in chlorhexidine, which you can get from a pharmacist. Or you can use a denture cleaner (such as Polident or Efferdent) that is sold in most drug or grocery stores.
- Rinse the dentures well in the morning. If you used chlorhexidine to soak your dentures, don't use fluoride toothpaste for at least 30 minutes after putting your dentures back in your mouth. (Fluoride can weaken the effect of chlorhexidine.)
Gentian violet (1%), which is a dye that kills bacteria and fungi, sometimes works as treatment for thrush. It is available without a prescription. Gentian violet should only be used on adults. Talk to your doctor before using it to treat a child with thrush. If gentian violet does not work, talk to your doctor about other treatments to try.
Comfort measures
Measures can be taken to reduce the discomfort of thrush:
- Drink cold liquids, such as water or iced tea, or eat flavored ice treats or frozen juices.
- Eat foods that are easy to swallow such as gelatin, ice cream, or custard.
- If the patches are painful, try drinking from a straw.
- Rinse your mouth several times a day with a warm saltwater rinse. You can make the saltwater mixture with 1 tsp (5 g) of salt in 8 fl oz (0.2 L) of warm water.
WebMD Medical Reference from Healthwise
Thrush Topics
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