I was looking at your page last week... I am a basket case all the time worried about this. I check my mouth at least twice a day. Monday morning I looked, and there was a red circle,a little bigger than a pencil eraser. I don't know if I jabbed it with my toothbrush or I was eating hard chips on Sun. nite. please tell me about the red infection in the photos. is is always that big... does it start out small and spread. Is this the only thing that could cause a red circle to appear in the way back roof of your mouth?? is it smooth or bumpy?? Also the ridges on the side way back of your mouth, can they look red if you have post nasl drip??? please help... I am going crazy and driving my best friend nuts....

I believe you are concerned that you may have erythematous candidiasis (EC). EC is a red, flat, subtle, smooth, lesion which normally appears on the roof of the mouth and/or the dorsal (top) surface of the tongue. The pictures you have referred to in the HIVdent Picture Gallery are very typical presentations of EC.

What else can cause a red spot on the roof of your mouth? A few things immediately come to mind:

1. Trauma. Biting the wrong way on a "hard chip" or toothbrush trauma are two excellent examples

2. Burn. Drinking tea or coffee that is too hot, or pizza burn are other common examples of burns that would leave a red mark on the roof of your mouth.

Finally, it is very possible for post nasal drip to cause the tonsillar pillars to turn red.

Take care,

DR