How does the infection manifest and why is it dangerous?
The most striking symptom of oral candidiasis is a white, loose coating on the mucous membrane. It mainly covers the tongue, cheeks, and may affect the gums and palate. Plaque can be easily scraped out; the tissue underneath is prone to redness and may bleed. Other signs of the disease include:
- unpleasant taste;
- dry mouth;
- burning;
- the appearance of cracks in the corners of the lips;
- difficulty or painful swallowing;
- unpleasant sensations with habitual movements of the tongue.
Candidiasis can be acute or chronic. In most cases, it is the acute form that manifests itself; the chronic form is typical for carriers of HIV infections and smokers. Depending on the degree and form of the disease, other symptoms may be observed, so even if one or two appear, you should immediately contact your dentist.
What causes the appearance of plaque on the tongue of adults?
It is the disease that needs to be treated in an adult, but not the white coating on the tongue, when its causes are known. According to them, the doctor assumes the onset of the disease, refers the patient to the necessary examination, and based on the results of this, prescribes targeted treatment.
Often the cause of plaque is the settlement of various bacteria in the mouth, they reduce the secretion of saliva and form an unpleasant odor. The appearance of plaque indicates dehydration, poor hygiene, and smoking abuse.
Signs of normal plaque formation:
- it is transparent, the natural color of the mucous membrane is visible through;
- disappears when brushing teeth, no longer forms during the day;
- the person feels fine;
- there is no pain in the oral cavity;
- there are no cracks or wounds.
These are situations when it is necessary to improve oral hygiene, add rinsing with soda, salt, and herbs to brushing your teeth. Everything is fine with health. The appearance of white plaque may be caused by taking medications for chronic somatic diseases.
You need to think about health problems when the tongue becomes white during the day, when it is dense, sticky, and cheesy. It appears again when in the middle of the day a person brushes his teeth, removes buildup, and rinses his mouth.
Interesting! Elevated red blood cells in the child's blood
The reasons for a white coating on the tongue of an adult can be various factors; important reasons are indicated in the list. The main reasons for the formation of painful sticking on the tongue:
- decreased immune strength;
- the appearance of candidiasis;
- penetration of infections;
- development of dysbacteriosis;
- onset of gastrointestinal diseases.
The most common factors in the formation of whitish dense deposits are diseases - candidiasis, glossitis, stomatitis. The disease candidiasis is accompanied by the appearance of whitish masses throughout the mouth, tonsils, and the back wall of the larynx, where fungi and bacterial agents settle. This happens when natural defenses decrease, with the development of diabetes, after an acute respiratory viral infection.
The disease glossitis leads to inflammation of the mucous membrane of the tongue. Both an independent pathology and a concomitant phenomenon with other diseases develop. Glossitis is caused by thermal irritation from smoking, drinking hot tea, or from the penetration of pathogenic agents that disrupt the microflora.
A common cause is the appearance of stomatitis, with it on the tongue, on the inside of the lips, cheeks, and gums. Ulcers and purulent blisters form, which causes pain. Most often it is formed due to violations of hygiene rules, dental disease, and gastrointestinal tract diseases.
Some types of white coating on the tongue of an adult are visible in the photo with explanations; the reasons in specific cases may be different. Often the tongue becomes hyperemic with the appearance of a whitish tint due to the disease lichen planus; it always has a chronic course, with which whitish nodules are formed, which are mistaken for plaque. An infectious disease specialist will be able to recognize the true cause of the disease.
Causes of oral candidiasis
How does the disease occur? The fungus Candida lives in the body from birth and, under certain circumstances, provokes illness. What becomes the trigger for infection:
- weakened immunity;
- taking antibiotics;
- long-term use of removable dentures, especially if they do not fit tightly;
- insufficient oral hygiene;
- smoking;
- oncology;
- use of inhalers for asthma;
- excess simple carbohydrates in the diet;
- pregnancy period;
- infancy or old age.
It can be seen that there are many reasons, often they act together, less often - individually. In general, oral candidiasis is rare in adults. It mainly affects children in the first years of life and older people. Among these categories, the prevalence of the disease reaches 10%.
How is oral candidiasis treated?
To begin with, let's say that treatment is necessary, otherwise the infection spreads to the pharynx, tonsils, and gums. Then the disease descends into the lungs, gastrointestinal tract, liver and causes irreparable harm to them.
When the first signs of candidiasis of the oral mucosa appear, you should contact your dentist or therapist to confirm the diagnosis. When you see your doctor, describe all your symptoms, even those that are not on the list. For example, you have noticed increased anxiety or a tendency to stress lately. Information about the medications you are taking, recent illnesses, and being around sick people is also important. To confirm the diagnosis, it is often enough to take a swab from the oral cavity and carry out the appropriate analysis. If the disease has already spread to other organs, a more thorough examination may be required, for example, endoscopy - diagnosing the condition of the esophagus and stomach using a flexible tube with a camera at the end.
How to treat oral candidiasis? Treatment can be local or systemic depending on the form and stage of the disease. When local, antifungal agents and antiseptics are prescribed. These can be sprays, rinses, gels, lozenges and more. Treatment on average takes up to 3 weeks, as a general rule - until symptoms disappear and another week. Systemic treatment is used for chronic forms or when the infection spreads to other organs. It usually involves the use of more medications that are intended to treat the directly affected areas.
Under no circumstances resort to self-medication! A fungal infectious disease has nothing to do with inflammation, so your actions are more likely to harm your body. In doing so, you can reduce the harmful effects of the infection and make you feel better. To do this, eat natural yogurt without sugar and take probiotics as recommended by your doctor. But these actions are not a complete treatment for candidiasis in the mouth!
Leukoplakia of the oral mucosa
Typically, leukoplakia is localized on the mucous membrane of the cheeks, mainly at the corners of the mouth, on the lower lip, less often on the tongue (on the back or side surface), alveolar process, and in the area of the floor of the mouth. The clinical picture of the disease is heterogeneous, and therefore it is necessary to distinguish between flat, verrucous, erosive and Tappeiner leukoplakia. The clinical picture of leukoplakia depends not only on the form of the disease and the factor that caused it, but also on the location. The course of leukoplakia from the moment of its appearance to the onset of malignancy can be divided into several stages. The process, as a rule, begins with the preleukoplakic stage, which is characterized by slight inflammation of a limited area of the mucous membrane. After this, its uniform keratinization occurs very quickly. Subsequently, as the process progresses, the lesion begins to rise above the surrounding normal mucous membrane (verrucous leukoplakia). During this period of the disease, hyperplastic changes are replaced by metaplastic changes, and therefore malignancy often occurs in this form. The erosive form has the greatest potential for malignancy. Thus, all clinical forms of leukoplakia are a stage of a single pathological process. All forms of leukoplakia have the potential to become malignant, with the highest incidence of malignancy observed when the process is localized on the tongue. Leukoplakia in some patients can exist for years and even decades without malignancy, while in others it quickly transforms into cancer. The duration of leukoplakia before its possible transformation into cancer is very individual and primarily depends on the form of leukoplakia, since its verrucous and erosive forms have the greatest potential for malignancy. Clinical symptoms by which one can judge the beginning of malignancy of leukoplakia depend on the form of the disease. Signs indicating malignancy of flat leukoplakia are sudden erosion and the appearance of compaction at the base of the leukoplakia lesion. Particularly suspicious is the occurrence of a compaction not under the entire area of keratinization, but only under one of its sides. Clinical signs of malignancy of erosive leukoplakia: the appearance of compaction at the base of the erosion, bleeding of the erosive surface when it is injured, ulceration, the formation of papillary growths on the surface of the erosion or a rapid increase in its size. However, in the early stages of malignancy, all these signs may be absent. In connection with the above, it is advisable to remove foci of verrucous and erosive leukoplakia as early as possible, followed by histological examination.
How to avoid candidiasis?
To prevent the disease, you must follow a few simple rules:
- maintain oral hygiene;
- consult a dentist at least twice a year, even if there are no complaints;
- control nutrition, avoid excess carbohydrates in food;
- refrain from smoking, which can cause a chronic form of the disease.
Treatment of candidiasis of the oral mucosa can take a long time and also cause irreparable harm to health, so we recommend that you take care of yourself in advance by following preventive measures. If symptoms have already begun to appear, consult a doctor as soon as possible so that the infection does not have time to spread to other organs. You can undergo oral cavity diagnostics at Comfort Dentistry. Our specialists will tell you in detail about the prevention of common diseases of teeth and gums, and also, if necessary, provide high-quality treatment.
