how is thrush diagnosed?
your dentist can diagnose thrush by examining your mouth. he or she looks for the distinctive white lesions on your mouth tongue or cheeks. lightly brushing the lesions away reveals a reddened tender area that may bleed slightly. a microscopic examination of tissue from a lesion can confirm the diagnosis. thrush that extends into your esophagus may require other tests to make the diagnosis. such tests might include taking a throat culture (swabbing the back of your throat with sterile cotton and studying the microorganisms under a microscope) performing an endoscopy of your esophagus stomach and small intestine (examining the lining of these body areas with a lighted camera mounted on the tip of a tube passed through these areas) or taking x-rays of your esophagus.