The world completely changes as soon as your baby arrives in this world. Every passing day is a new experience. It is a whole new dimension with endless things to learn, every first time mommy can feel this. One of the typical troubles right after birth is a white coating they see on their baby’s tongue. This raises many questions: whether it is harmful or not, or will it go away easily? Well, it may be one of the two things, either milk tongue vs thrush.
Having a milk coating is no big deal; it is because your baby starts its salivating journey after a few months. Those white dots you spot are basically milk residues that did not wash away since there was no saliva to do so. There is no need to panic in such a situation; you can take a damp muslin cloth and gently wipe their tongue if necessary.
However, if the white dots on the tongue is newborn thrush, you need to sort things out properly. Here’s a guide ending your dilemma.
Thrush Vs Milk Tongue – Identification
How can one tell the difference between the two? Here is what some parents with experience have to say about milk tongue vs thrush.
Tongue staining because of milk is not permanent; the parent must always take a look to see whether the change in your baby is after a feed or continuous. Usually, the white patch brushes off after the tongue touches against the roof of the mouth, so monitoring changes helps. You can also check by wiping the milk residues, if it reveals a healthy pink tongue, then there is no need to worry.
Oral Thrush
Like milk tongue, thrush in newborns is also a common occurrence and is not an emergency. Firstly analyze properly and take action accordingly. Thrush is a result of candida Albicans, a fungus that resides in the mouth. Its over load is what causes thrush or white patches to appear on the tongue.
Usually, the reason for overgrowth is either the baby because of any complication was given antibiotics. Or the mother, during gestation, had a vaginal infection or took too many medicines.
Moreover, infections can pass on from the mother to her baby via breast milk, so that can be one of the triggers too.
Identifying Oral Thrush
It looks like soft white patches on the tongue, inside the area of the cheek or mouth roof. One of the identifying markers is that those creamy spots do not go away, they are constantly there. Even after gentle cleaning of the tongue. Moreover, your child will have latching issues because of irritability alongside nappy rash.
Thrush Vs Milk Tongue – Treatment
Mostly, thrush is not something to be worried about and resolves on its own. But if the condition is too troublesome, there are anti-fungal available for use. You can prevent this condition from happening by reducing the intake of medicines during pregnancy, washing your hands regularly before touching the baby, and keeping your nipples germ free.
Conclusion
Thrush vs milk tongue are both inevitable situations that a newborn baby and its parents have to go through. Luckily, none are life-threatening and easily treatable. Always head to your health care professional in case of any change for safety purposes. Dentists at Cypress Dental Clinic are just a call away; dial 832 427 6620 for help.