Hey all

I'm 16. I brush my teeth twice a day and take good care of myself.

A couple of days ago, I had pain in my right lower gums while brushing my teeth. I looked with a flashlight, and first thought I had a canker sore. I looked closer, and in that general area, there are tiny white specks on my gums. They are whitish-red and patchy looking, but VERY tiny, probably about the size of a pencil dot.

Can this be oral thrush? I have not been on antibiotics or anything that could cause it, so I'm concerned because of thrush's connection with HIV.

Thank you

VS

It's not thrush.

It's not thrush.

Thanks for your reply Cinemagic. How is it possible to tell if it's thrush or not?

VS

Oral mucosal lesions can appear white because of thickening of the epithelium (acanthosis), the production of excess keratin on the epithelial surface (hyperkeratosis), or accumulations of surface organisms or debris (pseudomembranes).

Thrush has the following:

Multiple, nonadherent (will rub off), white plaques on the surface of the epithelium
Removal of the white plaques reveals an erythematous mucosal surface
Can occur on any oral mucosal site (most often on the buccal mucosa, tongue, and palate).
Acute onset.
Patients may complain of a dry mouth and bad taste.
Acute pseudomembranous candidiasis is associated with a number of predisposing factors including systemic antibiotic therapy, topical and systemic corticosteroid therapy, dentures, chronic dry mouth, endocrine diseases (especially diabetes mellitus), and immunosuppression.
Persistent or recurrent episodes of acute pseudomembranous candidiasis may indicate that the patient's immune status is compromised.
Because the white plaques of acute pseudomembranous candidiasis can be rubbed off, this condition is infrequently confused with other white lesions .

Thanks again for all the info cinemagic. Today, I noticed my neck felt tender due to some swollen nodes. I also developed a sore throat, which may or may not be associated with whatever this is on my gums. The white specks I saw yesterday aren't there right now, but I've also been brushing the area a lot and rinsing with mouthwash.

If it were thrush, would it come back very soon or take a while to grow back once I scraped it off?

Thanks

VS

Once you scrape thrush off, it will generally come back within a day or less.

Once you scrape thrush off, it will generally come back within a day or less.

Will normal chewing/teeth brushing be enough to scrape it off?

VS