When a yeast infection is oral (in the mouth) it is sometimes called Thrush. The yeast infections are particularly common in the vagina – they simply thrive in warm and moist parts of the body – folds of skin in the obese, the genitals, the anus and of course the mouth are all places more likely to show symptoms of the fungus, Candida Albicans overgrowth.
How Thrush happens: Candida lives on all of us in small numbers harmlessly. Amongst the many other microorganisms living on us we also have healthy or good bacteria. These keep the fungus at low numbers and therefore help us to avoid yeast infections. If the numbers of healthy bacteria go down for whatever reason, the number of fungus will go up and this overgrowth generates a yeast infection. There are a number of reasons the body can become out of balance such as taking of corticosteroids, using antibiotics over a long period of time, being diabetic, poor diet, certain illnesses particularly those that weaken the immune system, treatment for cancer and hormonal times such as pregnancy for women.
The key symptoms: – White patches in the mouth on the inside of the cheeks, the gums, the throat, the roof of the mouth and the tongue; pain when swallowing; difficulty eating and drinking; lesions beneath the white spots that bleed.
Prevention: Brush your teeth at least twice a day and maintain good oral hygiene. Avoid mouthwashes and sprays as they upset the balance in the mouth. Smoking should be stopped as smokers have a much higher risk of getting Thrush.
How to treat Thrush: There are several over the counter options for you to choose from, or if it is a particularly severe case you need to see your doctor for a stronger drug. There are also natural means to help soothe the symptoms such as eating plain probiotic yogurt. In order to prevent a recurring problem look for the triggers above and identify what your root cause is and deal with that too.
For more info on how to deal with candida, check out our candida symptoms and cure website, where you can find plenty of information on the subject. Today’s special: yogurt yeast infection cure