Expert: Dr Mohd Tariq Salman - 6/4/2009

Question
Hello.. I recently had my wisdom teeth (all 4) pulled. that went well so far and i haven't had any issues. My dentist prescribed penicllin 1x every 6hrs (40tablets) as a "preventative" method for any possible infections. Well taking this medicine made me sick after a few days and then i developed white stuff on my tongue or hairy tongue. I told the dentist and he said i need to take benadryl..well after being persistant and advising i dont think benadryl will help get my tongue back pink..he prescribed Nystatin oral suspension. I have only been taking this for 2 days and it seemed to make it worse because my tongue is even whiter and the coating is thicker. Is this normal? will it go away? what can i do to get rid of this?  Thanks


Answer
You are most probably having oral candidiasis, which develops due to alteration of normal oral microflora as a result of taking antibiotics. The diagnosis can be confirmed only after examination and culture. This is usually sensitive to Nystatin but may be resistant. So, try other antifungals such as Clotrimazole or Fluconazole.