If you notice white and yellow bumps on your tongue and cheeks, it could be due to yeast infection in your mouth caused by candida. This happens to both kids and adults and will usually go away if you were able to find a treatment that works best for you.
There is nothing to worry about if you have oral thrush as they can go away in time and won't cause any pain and irritation inside your mouth. However, if people have weak immune systems, oral thrush will likely spread to other parts of your body.
If you're not sure if you have oral thrush in your mouth, you can see a dentist or a doctor and they will conduct tests such as scraping of the lesions to be studied under a microscope while biopsy is used for oral thrush present in your throat. If they think oral thrush has already affected other parts of your body, you have to undergo blood testing and physical exam to get the right diagnosis.
That's why before it gets worse, you have to know the oral thrush symptoms first and proceed to oral thrush treatment that are listed in this article completely.
Oral Thrush Symptoms
-
White Bumps Inside the Mouth
Oral thrush will produce a white coating on your tongue, cheeks, gums, tonsils, throat, and even on the roof of the mouth. This is the first thing you can notice if you have an oral thrush because the fungus Candida seems to outnumber the good bacteria inside your mouth.
-
Cottony Mouth and Loss of Taste
If you feel like your mouth is stuffed with cotton balls, it may be caused by oral thrush. This is due to the white coating that becomes even more thick when not scraped. And because they are thick enough when they reside on your tongue, you won't be able to taste the food that you consume leading to loss of appetite.
-
Soreness
When oral thrush triggers irritation, you will feel pain and soreness all over your mouth. That's why it's hard for you to swallow food. Most especially when oral thrush spreads to your esophagus, you will feel like there is food stuck in between your throat and chest.
-
Antibiotics and People with Asthma
One of the symptoms of oral thrush is when you have recently taken antibiotics and steroids for your asthma, these medications can out-balance your mouth as candida starts to outgrow the good bacteria. You can ask your doctor if you can make any changes with these prescribed medications.
Oral Thrush Treatment
-
Antifungal Medications
Since you are fighting the overgrown fungus candida, doctors will give you antifungal medications that you need to take for 2 weeks straight. You can ask your doctor if these antifungal medications can be taken as lozenge, tablets, or liquids.
Just in case your oral thrush after 2 weeks, your doctor will perform tests to see if there are other health conditions that need to be treated.
-
Limit Sugar and Yeast Intake
You need to watch your diet and avoid sugar and yeast intake now that you have oral thrush. Of course, you don't want the overgrowth of fungus candida in your mouth, that's why you need to avoid bread, beer, and wine because they cause extra yeast to grow in your mouth. Some dairy products need to be avoided while you still have oral thrush.
-
Eat More Probiotics
Taking antibiotics can reduce the good bacteria in your mouth so you need to replace them by eating more probiotics. Yes, you've read that right, the probiotics can restore the good bacteria so it can fight the growth of fungus candida in your mouth. You can get probiotics from supplements and even in yogurt.
You should include probiotics in your diet if you want your oral thrush to go away. One study even proved that people with oral thrush found effectiveness in oral thrush treatment by eating more probiotics.
-
Rinse with Warm Saltwater
Out of all the oral thrush treatments this is the cheapest one to try at home. Salt has been an antiseptic and cleaning property used for oral health problems and it is also very effective to relieve oral rush symptoms due to its powerful antibacterial substance.
To start, you can just use ½ teaspoon of salt and mix it into a whole glass of water. Swish the solution for up to 15-30 seconds. Repeat this at least twice per day until you achieve healthy gums.
-
Get A Water Flosser
Oftentimes, oral thrush is due to bad oral hygiene. It's time for you to brush at least twice a day and floss your teeth. The oral routine that is often neglected is flossing because the use of string floss is time-consuming and needs a lot of effort in order to clean each tooth without hurting your gums. If you say you floss your teeth but miss the food particles stuck in your teeth, it will only be more prone to bacteria.
This is the reason why getting a water flosser is a MUST! It is very convenient to use because it is portable and you can just turn it on and the streaming water will clean each tooth to make sure that there is no food debris left that feeds bad bacteria such as Candida. Aside from oral thrush, it is a complete package to fight cavities, gum disease, and other mouth problems. You can learn more here.
Steps in Using Water Flosser
- Fill the reservoir with warm water before placing it on the base.
- Water flossers come with different tips so choose the one that you favored the most.
- Click the tip into the handle.
- Turn on the water flosser and set the control dial too high to let the water flow. (The next time you will use it, you can set the control dial to any type of pressure you want.)
- In a sink, you have to lean over so that the water won’t stream down to your clothes.
- Place the tip at the gumline and let the water flow to clean each tooth.
- Move it from one gum to another.
- Once you have finished flossing your teeth, turn the water flosser off and remove the tip.
Conclusion
Oral thrush is not as serious as other mouth problems if you have a strong immune system. However, this infection may spread if you don't look for ways to treat your oral thrush. Consult your doctor right away if the treatment presented above doesn't work.
Disclaimer:
The content in this article is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always consult with a healthcare provider before making any changes to your health regimen. The author and publisher do not take responsibility for any consequences resulting from the information provided in this article.