Oral thrush

Diagnosis

The methods used in diagnosis depend, in part, on whether thrush is limited to your mouth or may have spread to your esophagus.

If thrush is limited to your mouth

To diagnose oral thrush, your medical or dental professional may:

• Look in your mouth to see the white patches or spots.
• Take a small scraping of the areas to study under a microscope.

If needed, your healthcare professional will do a physical exam and order blood tests to try to find any underlying medical condition that may be causing the oral thrush.

If symptoms also seem to come from your esophagus

If you have trouble swallowing and feel pain or feel as if food is getting stuck in your throat, your healthcare professional can find out if thrush has spread to your esophagus. Your healthcare professional may recommend:

• An endoscopic exam. Your healthcare professional checks your esophagus, stomach and upper part of your small intestine using a lighted, flexible tube with a camera on the tip, called an endoscope.
• A biopsy. If the endoscopic exam shows thrush or other unusual findings, your healthcare professional takes a tissue sample and sends it to the lab. This helps figure out which bacteria or fungi, if any, are causing symptoms.
• A physical exam and more tests. If the biopsy results show thrush, a physical exam and more tests may be done to try to find any underlying medical condition that could cause thrush in the esophagus.

Treatment

The goal of any oral thrush treatment is to stop the fast spread of the fungus. But the best approach may depend on your age, overall health and what's causing the infection. Eliminating underlying causes, when possible, can prevent thrush from returning:

• Healthy adults and children. Your healthcare professional may recommend antifungal medicine. This medicine comes in several forms, including lozenges, tablets, or a liquid that you swish in your mouth and then swallow. If these medicines don't work, medicine may be given that works throughout your body.
• Babies and nursing mothers. If you're breastfeeding and your baby has oral thrush, you and your baby could pass the infection back and forth. Your healthcare professional may prescribe a mild antifungal medicine for your baby and an antifungal cream for your breasts.
• Adults with weakened immune systems. Most often, your healthcare professional will recommend antifungal medicine.

Thrush may return even after it's been treated if you don't deal with the underlying cause, such as poorly disinfected dentures or inhaled steroid use.

Clinical trials

Explore Mayo Clinic studies testing new treatments, interventions and tests as a means to prevent, detect, treat or manage this condition.

Lifestyle and home remedies

These suggestions may help during an outbreak of oral thrush:

• Practice good oral care. Brush and floss regularly. Replace your toothbrush often until your infection clears up. Don't share toothbrushes.
• Disinfect dentures. Ask your dental professional for the best way to disinfect your dentures to avoid reinfection.
• Try warm saltwater rinses. Dissolve about 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 milliliters) of salt in 1 cup (237 milliliters) of warm water. Swish the rinse and then spit it out. But don't swallow it.
• Use nursing pads. If you're breastfeeding and get a fungal infection, use pads to help prevent the fungus from spreading to your clothes. Look for pads that don't have a plastic barrier that can encourage candida to grow. Wear a clean bra every day. Ask your healthcare professional about the best way to clean your breast nipples, bottle nipples, pacifiers and any parts of a breast pump that detach, if you use one.

Preparing for your appointment

You're likely to start by seeing your family healthcare professional or pediatrician. But if you have an underlying condition that is part of the problem, you may be referred to a specialist for treatment.

Here's some information to help you get ready for your appointment.

What you can do

Before your appointment, make a list of:

• Any symptoms, including any that don't seem to be related to the reason for the appointment.
• All medicines, vitamins, herbs or other supplements you're taking, including the doses. Also, let your healthcare professional know if you've recently used antibiotics or if you take oral or inhaled corticosteroids such as those used to treat asthma.
• Questions to ask your healthcare professional to help make the most of your appointment.

Some questions to ask your healthcare professional may include:

• What caused this condition?
• Do I need any additional tests?
• What treatments are available, and which do you recommend?
• Do these treatments have any side effects?
• Is there a generic option to the medicine you're prescribing?
• How can I manage this condition along with my other medical issues?
• Are there any dietary limits that I need to follow?
• How can I prevent this from happening again?
• Do I need to be tested for other diseases linked to thrush?

Don't hesitate to ask any other questions during your appointment.

What to expect from your doctor

The healthcare professional is likely to ask you several questions, such as:

• When did you start having symptoms?
• Have you recently taken antibiotics for an infection?
• Do you have asthma? If so, do you use a steroid inhaler?
• Do you have any long-term health conditions?
• Do you have any other new symptoms of illness?

Be ready to answer questions to reserve time to go over any points you want to focus on.