Infants start teething at around 4 months old. Even before that happens, regular oral hygiene is a must. Leaving breast milk or formula residues in your baby's mouth for days allows bacteria to thrive in their sugary saliva. This can cause fungal infections.
To avoid bad breath and bacterial accumulations, it is essential to clean the tongue on a regular basis. This reduces the risk of oral infections and gum disease. Bacteria can thrive in your baby's sugary saliva if you leave breast milk or formula residues in their mouth for days.
Even before any teeth come out, there are certain oral health problems that babies are susceptible to. These are: oral thrush and recurrent mouth ulcers (canker sores). The risk of your baby developing both these problems can be reduced by cleaning their mouths regularly.
A newborn's gums and tongue should be cleaned after every feeding. If the white buildup in their mouths will not come off with cleaning, consult a doctor to check for a condition called thrush.
Cleaning Your Baby's Tongue
After washing and drying your hands, dampen a clean piece of gauze with lukewarm water. Wrap it around your finger and gently wipe your child's tongue. If the residue comes off easily, your child likely has milk tongue and not thrush.
Normally the body's natural defenses and good oral health care, such as daily brushing and flossing, keep bacteria under control. However, without proper oral hygiene, bacteria can reach levels that might lead to oral infections, such as tooth decay and gum disease.
More likely, it's a buildup of milk residue from breast or bottle feeding that is easily wiped away with a cloth. You'll only need to seek medical advice if the white 'coating' doesn't go away when wiped or is also present on the lips, gums, or palate, as this may indicate thrush.
It is quite common for newborns to have a white tongue, which could be due to oral thrush or milk residue. Although milk residue and oral thrush look similar, there are differences. Milk residue usually fades away after a feed, whereas oral thrush does not disappear, even on wiping the tongue with a damp cloth.
White Tongue Alone: Not Thrush
A milk diet often causes a white coated tongue. This is normal. It will go away after your baby starts eating solid foods. If white patches occur inside the lips or cheeks, call your child's doctor.
Examine the tongue or lip – Lay your baby down on your knees, facing you. Run your finger under their tongue. Does this membrane feel short, strong, or excessively thick? A normal tongue will allow for a smooth and uninterrupted swipe underneath the frenulum.
Why Is It So Important To Clean Your Tongue? The foundation of good oral hygiene includes regular checkups with a dentist and maintaining your teeth and gums by brushing and flossing. But since your tongue harbors an estimated 50% of the bacteria in your mouth, you don't want to neglect it.
Milk residue (“milk tongue”)
It is harmless, and you do not need to clean it off or try to prevent it from happening.
You don't need a ton of things in order to clean baby gums, tongue, and mouth effectively. Essentially, all that's necessary is a washcloth and warm water. Before you start cleaning the baby's mouth, make sure to wash your own hands thoroughly. Take your baby into your lap while supporting their head with your hand.
White patches on the tongue and elsewhere in the mouth that can't be rubbed off can indicate thrush at any age. On the whole, however, if your baby has a white tongue, milk residue is the most common culprit. In this case, your baby's white tongue is not thrush.
A white tongue is common in young babies and doesn't always mean it's thrush.
Poor oral hygiene manifests in a number of different forms. From bleeding or swelling gums to toothaches, growths in the mouth and alterations to the tongue's surface, poor oral hygiene has plenty of forms. Some patients exhibit several common indications of poor oral hygiene.
Poor oral habits include a wide spectrum of habits including, thumb sucking, finger sucking, blanket sucking, tongue sucking, soother/pacifier use, lip sucking, lip licking, mouth breathing, and nail biting, among others.
Oral thrush is a common infection in babies, but you can help prevent it: If you formula-feed your baby or use a pacifier, thoroughly clean the nipples and pacifiers in hot water or a dishwasher after each use. That way, if there's yeast on the bottle nipple or pacifier, your baby won't be reinfected.
Epstein pearls are small, harmless cysts that form in a newborn's mouth during the early weeks and months of development. They contain keratin and usually go away within a few weeks. The bumps contain keratin, a protein that occurs naturally in human skin, hair, and nails.
Not necessarily. Often, a white tongue means you should focus on your oral hygiene or overall health. For example, it may mean that you need to brush and floss more regularly and steer clear of tobacco and alcohol. Still, a white tongue may signal a yeast or bacterial infection.