Leukoplakia and Your Dental Health

Sometimes, a gray or white patch might occur on your tongue, on the inner cheek, or on the mouth’s floor. This patch can be a sign of a condition called leukoplakia. This condition occurs as a result of chronic irritation of the mucous membranes of the mouth.

While these patches can occur anytime during a lifetime, it’s more common in older adults.

The most unusual form of this condition is hairy leukoplakia which is seen only in the people who are affected by HIV, AIDS or AIDS-related complex. It looks pretty much like candida fungus, or thrush, and it usually occurs as a result of nonfunctional immune system.

Reasons for leukoplakia

The most common causes of leukoplakia include:

• Irritation from rough parts of the teeth, filling, crowns, or ill-fitting dentures
• Smoking and tobacco use
• Long exposure of lip to the sun
• Oral cancer
• HIV or AIDS

The symptoms of leukoplakia

As mentioned above, gray or white patches on the tongue, inner cheeks and floor of the mouth may be a sign of leukoplakia. The development of these patches may be slow enough to take weeks and even months. They can be thick in the start and become slightly raised from the level of surface they are on. And eventually, they take on a hardened and rough texture. In most of the cases, they are painless. But they can be sensitive to touch, spicy foods, heat, and other types of irritations.

Leukoplakia diagnosis

A dentist or oral physician will be able to tell that the patches present in your mouth are actually leukoplakia. If there are the signs of this condition, a biopsy may be performed to make sure that you are affected by oral cancer. Biopsy is associated with the removal of a small piece of tissue from the lesion. This small piece is then sent to the labs for tests. This procedure is done under the effect of numbing agent to avoid any pain.

Treatment of leukoplakia

If leukoplakia is a result of irritation, the source of irritation is treated to not only treat the infection but also avoid its future occurrence. If leukoplakia is due to smoking and tobacco consumption, you are going to have to work towards quitting tobacco use in any form.

Leukoplakia itself is harmless. The lesions get cleared within a weeks or months after the source of irritation is removed. But if the lesions remain there for an extended period of time, your oral physician may suggest the removal of those lesions.

What Is Tonsillitis

An infection in the tonsils (two bulks of masses in the back of the throat) is known as tonsillitis. Let’s first understand the function of tonsils. These tissues are basically the filters that prevent infectious germs from outside from entering into our bodies through the throat. They also make antibodies which fight infections. However, they can also get overwhelmed with bacteria and viruses they catch. And as a result, they become swollen and inflamed. This condition is called tonsillitis.

Tonsillitis is more common in children. There are three types of tonsillitis.

• Acute tonsillitis: It’s the shorter condition which lasts 3 – 4 days. However, it can last up to 2 weeks.
• Recurrent tonsillitis: This type of tonsillitis can recur several times during a year.
• Chronic tonsillitis: This is the long-term form of tonsillitis.

Symptoms of tonsillitis

Inflammation or swelling in tonsils is the main symptom of tonsillitis. In certain cases, this inflammation and swelling can be severe enough to obstruct the airflow. Other symptoms that may be connected with tonsillitis include:

• Tenderness and pain in throat
• Red tonsils
• Development of white or yellow coating over the tonsils
• Ulcer or painful blister in the throat area
• Headache
• Loss of appetite
• Pain in the ear
• Trouble swallowing
• Fever and chills
• Bad breath
• Scratchy voice

Symptoms in children

• Upset stomach
• Vomiting
• Pain in the stomach
• Drooling
• Loss of appetite

Causes of tonsillitis

Tonsillitis is caused by bacterial and viral infections. A specific type of bacteria, Streptococcus, is one of the major reasons for tonsillitis. Other causes may include:

• Influenza virus
• Adenoviruses
• Parainfluenza viruses
• Epstein-Barr virus
• Enteroviruses
• Herpes simplex virus

Diagnosis

Tonsillitis is diagnosed by your doctor during a physical test. The doctor will see if the tonsils are red and swollen. They are also going to check for the fever. They will also look in the nose and ears to find any signs of infection.

Tests that run during diagnosis of tonsillitis include the following.

• Your saliva will be checked for strep bacteria. For this purpose, a cotton swab will be run along the back of your throat. This test is going to be a bit uncomfortable but it is not painful. You will get the results of this test in 10 – 15 minutes. In some cases, you may get the test reports in a couple of days.
• The CBC test is another way to know the reason for tonsillitis. If low blood cell count is the reason for tonsillitis, your doctor will be able to know about it through this test.

Treatment

Information about reasons for the tonsillitis provides guidance about the way this problem needs to be treated.

If the reason for tonsillitis is a bacterial infection, you are going to get a prescription for antibiotic medication. That medication can be a one-time injection or a course of pills that you will have to complete over a certain period of time.

Another way to treat this problem is through home remedies. You will need to rely on home remedies when it the reason for tonsillitis is a viral infection; and, so, the antibiotics are not going to be effective in this regard. In order to find relief from viral infection, you are going to have to get a lot of rest, drink warm fluids, eat softer foods, gargle with warm salt water, and take over-the-counter pain relievers.

If the problem of tonsillitis is persistent, your doctor may recommend taking the swollen tonsils getting out. But note that tonsils are an important part of your immune system; and you’re your doctor will not want to take it out unless it is absolutely necessary.