These oral health problems typically appear because patients with HIV do have an extremely weakened immune system.
Of course, patients with HIV do have much greater health problems than tender gums or sores, but these patients cannot eat and chew properly because of the oral problems- and eating nutritious and plenty food is extremely important for a patient with this condition.
Common oral health problems in patients with HIV can be treated at the dentist:
Oral viral infection- herpes – this condition typically manifests through the apparition of red sores on the roof of the mouth. The condition can sometimes manifest on the lips, and then it is called a fever blister. Oral herpes sometimes can be contagious, and it is generally treated through prescription pills.
Hairy Leukoplakia – this oral health condition is caused by the Epstein-Barr virus, and it typically manifests through white patches on the soft tissue of the mouth.
The condition can appear on the side of the tongue, or the insides of the cheeks. It is not a contagious disease, and the symptoms can be relieved through proper prescription medication.
Candidiasis – this is an oral fungus infection (thrush)-these are typically whitish or yellow patches that appear on the soft tissue of the mouth. The patient needs to be extremely careful with these patches, not to scrape them, because bleeding can occur very easily.
Candidiasis can give a sensation of burning in the mouth which is very unpleasant, this is why proper treatment is important. Doctors generally prescribe antifungal pills for sever cases while for milder cases they prescribe antifungal lozenges or special mouthwashes.
Mouth warts – these are cauliflower-like bumps in shape which generally appear on the roof of the mouth, but they can also appear on the inside of the lips. Sometimes, doctors will remove these warts through cryosurgery (freezing them off) or remove them with the surgical scalpel.
Another frustrating mouth condition of the patients with HIV is the dry mouth syndrome. Preventing a dry mouth is very important, mainly because this way the patient can swallow food without problems and the mouth tissues are kept healthy by being moist enough at all times. Dentists can prescribe artificial saliva for patients with severe dry mouth syndrome.
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