Hi Dear,
Understanding your concern.
As per your query your mother in law had symptoms of shingles or
oral thrush in mouth. Well it is difficult to say exactly whether its shingles or oral thrush as you have not explained anything about her symptoms. I need to know few things like duration since the symptoms started, type of reaction in mouth, symptoms are in blisters or coating form and size of lesions.
As shingles is a viral infection which occurs after reactivation of latent herpes virus in nerve endings when ever immunity of body is low as low immunity favors its growth and oral thrush is a
fungal infection caused by candida when ever oral cleanliness is not there.
I would suggest her to maintain proper
oral hygiene by brushing twice daily. Do regular flossing. Use antimicrobial mouthwash such as Listerine to prevent microbial accumulation. Take diet rich in multivitamins such as rich in
vitamin B12,
folic acid. Take antiviral drugs such as Acyclovir for shingles and Nystatin suspensions in case of oral thrush.
Use tongue scrapper to prevent debris accumulating on tongue.
Hope your concern has been resolved.
Get Well Soon.
Best Wishes,
Dr. Harry Maheshwari