Oral Thrush

Posted under General Health by Don

Oral thrush is a type of yeast infection found in one’s mouth, most commonly found within infants and toddlers.

Signs of Oral Thrush

Infants or newborns with oral thrush normally will show signs of it in the first few weeks of their life by acting fussy or irritable when breast-feeding. If the infant or newborn does have oral thrush, you should see your health professional immediately because you’re newborn could pass it onto you through breast-feeding.

Women who have been infected by the thrush of their newborn through breast-feeding often show some of the following symptoms:

• Unusually sensitive nipples
• Unusual pain while breast-feeding
• Thumping pains in the breast

Causes of Oral Thrush

Thrush is caused by the overproduction of fungi called Candida in your mouth. The overproduction is normally caused by different illnesses. The illnesses listed below are some illnesses that may cause you to get oral thrush:

• HIV/AIDS – HIV stands for the human immunodeficiency virus, and is the virus that in its later stages is called AIDS. This virus will attack and destroy parts of your immune system. A weak immune system can cause infections that your body would normally resist, such as oral thrush.
• Cancer – Oral thrush can develop especially in cancer patients receiving radiation therapy/chemotherapy because the radiation can cause an increased risk of some types of Candida infections such as oral thrush.
• Antibiotics – If you have any oral thrush at all, and you are put on any type of antibiotics for another unrelated purpose, antibiotics tend to make your oral thrush MUCH worse. The antibiotics can get your oral thrush worked up, and it can cause a substantial amount of pain wherever the thrush is worked up.
• Chronic Mucocutaneous Candidiasis – This is a group of out of the ordinary disorders, which can cause chronic Candida infections in your mouth.
• Poor Health – If you have an overall poor diet, poor amount of exercise, poor hygiene, etc., you have a better chance at weakening your immune system allowing infections such as oral thrush to appear.

Who Thrush is Likely to Infect

• Elderly Adults
• Infants and Newborns
• People with Damaged Immune Systems
• Anyone Using Oral Antibiotics
• People with Asthma

Treatment of Oral Thrush

One of the best treatments for oral thrush, especially when you are not able to seek medical attention, is unsweetened yogurt. Unsweetened yogurt can kill, or at least calm down certain types of yeast infections. Try to keep the yogurt in your mouth for 30-60 seconds, and swish it around as if it was mouthwash.

Speaking of mouthwash, you don’t want to use mouthwash because it can seriously throw off the pH balance in your mouth, which can cause the oral thrush to act up.

One of the most common antibiotic treatments for oral thrush is an antibiotic called Diflucan. If you have oral thrush, you should ask your doctor or medical professional about Diflucan and discuss your eligibility to take such an antibiotic. It is used to treat many different types of yeast infections and other fungal infections, and it will work well if you are right to use it.

Immediate Medical Attention

It is extremely important to seek professional medical attention if you develop oral thrush. Oral thrush is nothing worth rushing to the emergency room for, but should be checked out by a doctor immediately after it is noticed. If oral thrush goes untreated, it can not only cause substantial pain, but can cause a substantial amount of damage to the rest of your body if it begins to spread.