Some babies get thrush - a fungal infection on their tongues, that gets treated with antibiotics.
But, some babies have trouble clearing milk off their tongues, and milk residue can be confused with thrush. Which means babies can needlessly get antibiotics.
Why do some babies have trouble clearing milk residue? Often it's because their tongues don't raise up to the roofs of their mouths. And that's a red flag as well. But not a red flag that needs antibiotics.
When a baby has great resting tongue position, when he swallows, there is really good pressure that creates a vacuum effect, and none of the milk gets left behind. When a baby can’t raise his tongue up to the roof of his mouth, the milk is not swallowed efficiently, and some of it is left behind on the tongue.
If the problem is with the tongue rather than a fungal infection, the white coating will recur or never go away.
A great feeding specialist can get baby's tongue to effectively do its job, so no milk gets left behind and a misdiagnosis of thrush will not happen.
