Thrush: Home Treatment

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Home Treatment

Thrush is a yeast infection that can develop in the mouth and throat and on the tongue. Thrush is most common in newborns, infants, and older adults, but it can occur at any age. In healthy newborns and infants, thrush is usually not a serious problem and is easily treated and cured.

If your child has mild thrush, you may only need to clean bottle nipples and pacifiers regularly and massage the inside of your child's mouth with a clean moist cloth. If you are breast-feeding, you should clean your nipples with an antifungal medicine, such as nystatin (Mycostatin). You should also dry your nipples after breast-feeding. Apply lanolin lotion, which may help relieve nipple soreness.

If you develop thrush and have false teeth (dentures), it is important to clean your mouth and dentures every night.

• Remove your dentures before going to bed.
• Scrub them well with a clean toothbrush and water.
• Soak them overnight in chlorhexidine gluconate, which you can get from a pharmacist. Or you can use a denture cleaner (such as Polident or Efferdent) that is sold in most drug or grocery stores.
• Rinse the dentures well in the morning. If you used chlorhexidine gluconate to soak your dentures, don't use fluoride toothpaste for at least 30 minutes after putting your dentures back in your mouth. (Fluoride can weaken the effect of chlorhexidine gluconate.)

Gentian violet (1%), which is a dye that kills bacteria and fungi, sometimes works as treatment for thrush. It is available without a prescription. Gentian violet should only be used on adults. Talk to your doctor before using it to treat a child with thrush. If gentian violet does not work, talk to your doctor about other treatments to try.

Comfort measures

Measures can be taken to reduce the discomfort of thrush:

• Drink cold liquids, such as water or iced tea, or eat flavored ice treats or frozen juices.
• Eat foods that are easy to swallow such as gelatin, ice cream, or custard.
• If the patches are painful, try drinking from a straw.
• Rinse your mouth several times a day with a warm saltwater rinse. You can make the saltwater mixture with 1 tsp (5 g) of salt in 8 fl oz (0.2 L) of warm water.

Last updated:	March 10, 2008
Author:	Maria G. Essig, MS, ELS
Reviewed By:	Michael J. Sexton, MD - Pediatrics, Thomas Emmett Francoeur, MDCM, CSPQ, FRCPC - Pediatrics
Editors:	Susan Van Houten, RN, BSN, MBA, Pat Truman, MATC