Oral Thrush In Babies

Oral thrush is very common in babies under one year old. It isn’t anything to worry about. Sometimes it doesn’t even make babies uncomfortable. 

Causes: Oral thrush is caused by the yeast Candida albicans. We’ve all got this yeast in our bodies, and it normally lives in balance with other organisms. But if the balance of organisms in the body is upset, yeast can multiply and produce an infection.

Motivating factors: 

• This process might happen as a result of antibiotic treatment
• Your baby might also develop oral thrush if he sucks on objects already infected with thrush, like nipples, teats or dummies.
• Children with weak immune system
• If your child uses inhaled corticosteroids, like those used for asthma treatment for a long time without rinsing his mouth with water after spraying. 

Symptoms 

• If your child has oral thrush, you might notice that your child has white spots or patches on the inside of her cheeks, lips and tongue. You can’t easily wipe away these patches, and they often leave red, inflamed areas when you try to remove them.
• Your child might be reluctant to feed or eat and even drool if the areas become really red and angry.

When to see your doctor: 

• You see white patches on the inside of your child’s mouth
• Your child is generally unwell or has a fever for no obvious reason
• Your child suffers from thrush infections that keep coming back, even though you’re using treatment recommended by a health professional.

Treatment

• Duration of treatment is usually 10 days
• Sometimes oral thrush goes along with thrush in the nappy area, which will need treatment at the same time.

Prevention 

• Oral hygiene regularly for babies
• Sterilise teats and bottles after each use. Also sterilise dummies and teething rings regularly. 
• Gargling his/her mouth after spraying inhaled corticosteroids