Oral Thrush Symptoms, Prevention and Treatment

Oral thrush is a disease that occurs in the mouth of small babies, toddlers and sometimes in adults also. It is a fungal infection caused due to the fungus named Candida Albicans which accumulates on the lining of your mouth. If oral thrush treatment is not taken seriously, the fungus can do severe damage to health.

This fungus lives in the mouth in a small amount which doesn’t affect in our mouth. It is balanced by the good bacteria present in our body. As we eat antibiotics medicine, good bacteria decreases, creating an imbalance in our mouth, which eventually gives rise to fungus Candida Albicans causing oral thrush infection.

Causes of Oral Thrush

Our immune system has been designed in a such a way that it repels harmful organisms such as virus, bacteria, and fungus and also helps in maintaining a balance between good and bad micro-organisms that are present in our body. But sometimes intake of excess antibiotics the protective mechanisms of good micro organism fails and thus the number of bad fungus or Candida increases which causes oral thrush infection.

Signs and Symptoms of Oral Thrush

At the initial stage, you may not notice the symptom of oral thrush but as the infection increases, you may notice the following signs and symptoms:

A creamy white lesions inside your mouth area like tongue, inner cheeks, the roof of the mouth gums and tonsils also.
Redness, soreness or burning sensation that may cause difficulty in eating or swallowing of the food.
Bleeding if they are rubbed or scrapped.
Cracking or redness at the corner of the mouth.
There is a loss of taste
Pain and irritation under dentures.
It feels like cotton and has a cottage cheese-like appearances.

Prevention For Oral Thrush

Brush your teeth thrice a day and floss daily.
Try to eat less amount of sugar-containing food as it increases the growth of Candida
If you have diabetes then try to control your good blood sugar as it decreases the growth of Candida.
Rinse your mouth as often as necessary.
Eat nutritious food that helps and supports the functioning of our immune system.
If you feel your mouth is dry, meet the doctor as soon as possible and follow the treatment plan which is suggested by the doctor.
If you have dentures then you must clean them daily and remove them before going to bed.
Keep your brushes and tongue cleaner clean.

Oral thrush treatment with home remedies

Home remedies are often useful for mild cases of oral thrush. Doctors often suggest home remedies because excess medication might worsen the condition of the body and your mouth. Home remedies are natural and have the power to cure oral thrush without giving any side effects. Here are some home remedies that will help you to cure oral thrush:-

1. Saltwater

Saltwater has cleansing and antiseptic properties. Use saltwater to rinse your mouth to relieve the symptoms of oral thrush.

Mix half to one tsp salt in 1 cup of warm water.
Use it to gargle thoroughly, then spit it out.

Repeat a few times daily until you are satisfied with the result.

2. Baking soda

Baking soda has antifungal and antibacterial properties. It treats the problem of oral thrush naturally.

Take a ½ teaspoon of baking soda in 1 cup of lukewarm water
Rinse your mouth with this and spit it out.

3. Yogurt

Yogurt has antifungal properties and probiotic yogurt contains good bacterial will helps to maintain the balance between good and bad bacteria which kills the oral thrush causing fungus.

4. Lemon juice

Lemon juice is widely known for its anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties and plays a key remedy for oral thrush treatment. Lemon has citric acid which cures oral thrush but an excess amount of lemon juice might give you a burning or irritating sensation.

Always mix half teaspoon of lemon juice with water to normalize the citric acid so that you don’t get burning sensation.

5. Turmeric

Turmeric is one of the most important ingredients in everyone’s kitchen but because of its anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties, it is widely used for curing wounds and infections. Turmeric is used in oral thrush to kill the fungus and cure the infection.

Mix the turmeric with water and apply it to the infected area to cure oral thrush.

6. Apple Cider Vinegar

Mix 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar in a cup of warm water.
Drink apple cider vinegar twice daily.
Continue using it for 4-5 days.

7. Coconut Oil

You can use a cotton swab to apply virgin coconut oil directly in the mouth. This should be repeated 2-3 times on a daily basis and continued for a week to notice the improvement.