Plaque on the tongue of a baby: causes, ways to clean the tongue of a child, treatment, advice and recommendations of pediatricians

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

A young mother tries to notice the first signs of a disease in her baby, so she looks closely at every crease and speck on the baby's skin. Many parents have met with such a phenomenon as a white coating on the tongue of a baby. In most cases, this is considered the norm, but there are exceptions in which you need to see a doctor. What factors need to be considered? Why does the baby have a white coating on the tongue? First of all, it is important to understand the nutrition of the baby: whether he uses breast milk or eats a special infant formula.

White coating on the tongue of a baby during breastfeeding

Mother's milk is not as satisfying as formula, so the baby in the first months can breastfeed almost every 30 minutes. Due to the constant presence of milk in the mouth, plaque on the tongue of the baby can be throughout the day, and this is absolutely normal. Up to about 3-4 months of life, the baby's salivary glands are not sufficiently developed and a sufficient amount of saliva is not produced. That is why a white coating forms on the baby's tongue.

Such a plaque on the tongue of a baby does not need to be cleaned off, it does not interfere with the baby at all and does not cause discomfort, because this is ordinary mother's milk, which does not have time to wash off the tongue. When the condition of the crumbs is normal, he is cheerful, cheerful and actively breastfeeds - there is no reason to worry.

White coating on the tongue of a bottle-fed baby

Artificial or formula-fed babies, like babies, eat very frequently in the first months of life and thus are in constant contact with milk. Remains of such food can remain on the baby's tongue and cause plaque to form. However, in these babies, plaque should disappear 1-2 hours after feeding, as the intervals between meals are slightly longer than when breastfeeding.

Milk or formula residue is easily washed off with water, so you can do a little experiment. Invite the baby to drink water from a bottle or spoon (it should wash off the bulk of the plaque), but if this does not happen, then you better contact your pediatrician. The doctor will be able to find out the cause of white plaque in the baby and prescribe the appropriate treatment. What else can cause deposits in a baby's mouth?

Causes of white plaque on the child's tongue

Let's get the opinions of professionals. What Dr. Komarovsky says aboutplaque on the tongue of infants? Like most doctors, he identifies the following reasons:

• dysbacteriosis and gastritis;
• stomatitis;
• disruption of bowel function;
• other pathologies.

Each mother should arm herself with recommendations that will help her prevent this condition in her child. After the plaque has already appeared, be sure to consult a doctor who can determine the exact cause of its appearance and prescribe the necessary treatment.

Maybe it's thrush?

Thrush, or candidiasis, is an infectious disease caused by fungi (Candida). Doctors often use the term "candidiasis" and claim that most children under one year old have this disease. The appearance of thrush most often manifests itself in the first 3 months of a child's life, since during this period of life his oral cavity is not yet populated with he althy microorganisms, and, alas, the immune system is not strong enough.

What is the cause of tongue plaque in an older baby? It happens that the immune system does not work properly, and the fungal infection appears in the mouth or on the cheeks of the child. Against the background of reduced immunity, for example, after a respiratory viral infection, the risk of thrush increases.

The difference between thrush and milk plaque

How to determine the cause of plaque on the tongue of a baby? If a person does not have the opportunity to get to a doctor or a frightened mother can not wait to determine the nature of the appearance of plaque, then just try to wash it off with water. If the situation has not cleared up, perhaps the child does not want to drink water (this happens to children in the first weeks of life), do not worry, there is another easy way to determine the cause of plaque. Try gently, with clean hands or a cloth, to remove plaque from the baby's tongue. The fact is that plaque from thrush is not so easy to remove, and in those places where you still manage to clean the child’s tongue, you may notice a bleeding surface. This sign is considered an undeniable symptom of thrush and your child needs urgent treatment.

The effect of thrush on the condition of the child

When candidiasis worsens the general condition of the baby, he becomes capricious, lethargic and refuses to eat. Candidiasis spots in the oral cavity give the baby severe discomfort, it hurts to suck on the breast or bottle, and because of this, he constantly cries. In rare cases, there is an increase in body temperature, as with a cold, sometimes it reaches 39 degrees.

Candidiasis rarely affects only the tongue. Usually the entire oral cavity is covered with white spots, even the area around the mouth can be affected by the fungus. When the baby eats, the plaque exfoliates and disappears for a while, while the inflamed oral mucosa is visible.

How to treat candidiasis in babies?

Typically, the pediatrician should prescribe antifungal drugs to treat oral thrush. Infants are selected with convenient dosage forms (syrup or solution), which should be used to lubricate the tongue and oral mucosa. The duration of treatment for plaque on the tongue in infants depends on the degree of the disease, but is usually in the range of 7-10 days. Feeling better after 3-4 days.

The mouth is cleansed, and the child can start eating milk with renewed vigor, and then sleep peacefully. If it seemed to you that the baby's condition has returned to normal, this does not mean that you need to stop treatment. Candidiasis is a very persistent disease, and if you stop taking medication, then plaque and spots will definitely return. In this case, the fungus will become resistant to previously used drugs, and a new, most likely aggressive treatment will have to be prescribed.

Prevention of thrush of the tongue in infants

Do not forget about preventive measures to prevent the formation of candidiasis in the baby's mouth. It is important to regularly ventilate and humidify the air in the room. Do not forget about the importance of walking in the fresh air, after which the baby's sleep is normalized and immunity is strengthened.

If the baby is fed artificially, then you need to thoroughly wash all items necessary for feeding (bottle, nipple), and even a pacifier. When breastfeeding, it is important for a mother to monitor her he alth and not eat a lot of sweets that can provoke an active reproduction of the Candida fungus. There is no need to wash or wipe the breast with antiseptic agents. In the body of each person there is a Candida fungus, and the further development of the infection depends only on the state of immunity.

Frequentwashing the mother's breasts can dry out the skin, resulting in the formation of microcracks, which are the main factor contributing to the appearance of thrush in the baby. If you are unsure of the cause of thrush in your child, consult a doctor for help. A competent pediatrician will prescribe the optimal treatment, specifically for your case. If the cause of white plaque on the tongue of the baby is determined in time and the prescribed course of treatment is completed, then the likelihood of complications will be minimized.

Causes of yellow coating on the child's tongue

The appearance of a yellow coating on the tongue of a baby can seriously frighten parents. If such a plaque lasts for a long time and looks like a thick dense mass, and at the same time there is a sharp, unpleasant smell from the baby’s mouth, then this is a sign of a serious illness. Do not forget that the tongue is one of the organs of the digestive system, and changes in its color may indicate diseases of the gastrointestinal tract (pancreatitis, hepatitis, colitis, cholecystitis, gastritis).

Pathological changes in the digestive system are accompanied by a decrease in the child's appetite, impaired stool and crying of the baby (due to abdominal pain). There are other reasons for the appearance of a yellow coating on the tongue in an older child:

• overeating (perhaps the child has eaten too much fatty food, resulting in nausea, dry mouth and yellow coating on the tongue);
• infectious disease (infection is accompanied by high fever, whichprovokes the formation of a yellow-brown plaque, you can also notice bleeding wounds on the tongue);
• poisoning (in this case, the liver is disrupted, the body becomes intoxicated and dehydrated, which leads to plaque);
• jaundice (the tongue itself and the mucous membranes of the mouth are stained);
• local inflammatory processes in the child's mouth (caries, tonsillitis, gingivitis, stomatitis, glossitis);
• somatic diseases (autoimmune processes, diabetes and kidney disease).