Oral thrush treatment, diagnosis & prescriptions

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Yes, in some cases a doctor at Maple will be able to offer an oral thrush diagnosis by talking to you about your symptoms and evaluating your condition.

Occasionally, the doctor may recommend that you visit a clinic or dental specialist in order to take scrapings of any lesions to evaluate under a microscope, or take blood tests to determine any underlying oral thrush causes.

Yes, our physicians can prescribe medications online during your consultation. Once you accept a prescription, you’ll have the option to pick it up from any pharmacy or to have it delivered right to your door at no additional cost.

You can visit our How it Works page to learn more.

Oral thrush (also known as oral candidiasis) is a yeast infection caused by build up of the Candida albicans fungus inside the lining of the mouth. This fungus is normally found in the mouth; however, in some cases it can overgrow and become in this infection.

Usually oral thrush is found in babies, seniors and people with compromised immune systems.

Typically, Oral thrush will cause creamy looking white lesions to form on the tongue, gums, back of the throat or tonsils. It can also appear as cracks or redness in the corners of the mouth.

Common oral thrush symptoms include:

• White, creamy-looking lesions inside the mouth or throat
• Slight bleeding if legions are scraped or broken
• Cracking or redness in the corners of the mouth
• Loss of taste
• Cotton-like feeling inside the mouth
• Redness, irritation or pain beneath dentures
• Raised lesions with a cottage cheese appearance
• Difficulty eating or swallowing
• White or yellow patches on the inner cheeks or tongue
• Soreness in the mouth or throat

While the Candida albicans fungus is normally found in the mouth and is controlled by the body’s natural immune defence systems, sometimes these systems can fail due to other oral thrush causes.

Some specific conditions which can increase your risk of oral thrush include:

• Diabetes
• Wearing dentures (particularly upper dentures)
• Vaginal yeast infections
• Certain drugs (inhaled corticosteroids, antibiotics which affect microorganisms in the body, prednisone)
• A weakened or underdeveloped immune system

Typically, oral thrush treatment for healthy adults and children involves taking antifungal medication to help reduce the growth of the fungus and bring it back to healthy levels. This is also the case for those with weakened immune systems.

For mothers with nursing infants, there is a risk of passing the fungal infection back and forth through breastfeeding. In these situations, a doctor from Maple may suggest a mild antifungal medication for the infant, as well as an antifungal cream or ointment for the mother’s breasts.

There are some non-medicinal remedies, which can help reduce oral thrush symptoms. These include:

• Maintaining good oral hygiene
• Warm salt-water rinses
• Disinfecting dentures before use
• Using nursing pads when breastfeeding, to prevent fungus from spreading to clothes

Without treatment, oral thrush normally clears up on its own in around two weeks.

If it hasn’t gone away on its own in two weeks, you should contact a doctor to discuss possible oral thrush treatment options. If you believe your infant has developed oral thrush, you should contact a pediatrician or general practitioner.

No, oral thrush is not considered contagious.

Because Candida albicans fungus is normally located in the mouth, the infection is caused by the body’s inability to regulate the growth and spread of this naturally occurring fungus.

Additionally, although it is a yeast infection, oral thrush cannot be spread by performing or receiving oral sex.