De-Mystifying Oral Thrush

Two decades ago, oral thrush was a mystifying medical condition. What causes it? How is it treated? Can it be prevented? Today, these questions that perplexed physicians and patients alike have largely been resolved. Although thrush is not a common condition, if you suffer from it periodically, you are not likely to be comforted by its rarity. Some people have minor cases of thrush that they may not even notice, or that heal without treatment. Severe cases can be the result of a weakened immune system due to medical conditions like fibromyalgia, AIDS, cancer, lupus and diabetes. If you are suffering from physical and emotional stress, a poor diet consisting mostly of carbohydrates and lack of sleep, you are at a higher risk to develop oral thrush.

Oral thrush is also called "trench mouth," "Vincent's infection," and "acute necrotizing ulcerative gingivitis." It is a non-contagious infection of the gums that causes pain, fever and fatigue. The term "trench mouth" originated during World War 1; many soldiers in the trenches developed the infection. Poor oral hygiene and stress are often linked to trench mouth - for soldiers fighting in the fields of combat, oral hygiene and reducing stress are the farthest things from their minds. "K" rations to the army included once included cigarettes; today we know that smokers are more likely to develop oral thrush than non-smokers.

Oral thrush usually has a rapid onset with painful gums, an anxious or uneasy feeling, and fatigue. Your breath turns foul when the tips of your gums in between the teeth erode and become covered with a gray layer of dead or "necrotic" tissue. Your gums may bleed easily and have you have pain with eating and swallowing. You may feel feverish and the lymph nodes under your jaw may swell. White, painful, creamy patches develop on your tongue and the sides of your mouth. You can't scrape these patches off with a toothbrush or fingernail.

One of the major causes of oral thrush is Candidiasis, a yeast fungal infection called candida albicans. Candida is a normal inhabitant of the intestines, mouth and vagina. In small quantities, it does no harm. However, if candida is allowed to flourish in warm, moist environments like your mouth, it grows to overabundance, causing several health problems including oral thrush. Your body can develop this yeast overgrowth by taking antibiotics, corticosteroids, or cancer-fighting drugs. These drugs kill the helpful bacteria in your mouth that normally prevents candida from growing out of control.

Oral thrush is treated first by gently cleaning your mouth with a mild solution of water and hydrogen peroxide. Next, an oral antifungal medication such as nystatin solution will destroy the candida albicans that caused the infection. Because of the pain and discomfort of oral thrush, many physicians and dentists also prescribe an oral numbing solution such as lidocaine. Although lidocaine "swishes" doesn't heal oral thrush, it does make it a lot less painful while the antifungal "swish" is working.

The prevention of oral thrush involves good oral hygiene, a balanced diet, stress management, and getting plenty of sleep. If you've had oral thrush in the past, tell your physician before taking prescribed medications that are known to cause an overgrowth of candida. This especially relevant if you have asthma and use an inhaler of corticosteroid. The concept of preventing oral thrush is simple: do not give it the opportunity to develop.