What is Oral Thrush and How Do I Prevent It?

Your mouth health can be a complicated thing to stay on top of. From cavities to bad breath, ensuring you take the steps necessary to maintain the overall health of your mouth can help you to avoid many potential issues. One of the conditions where a mouth health routine can make a serious difference is an oral thrush infection.

What is oral thrush?

Oral thrush refers to a condition where a commonly occurring fungus called candida albicans actually builds up on the inside of your mouth. While it’s normal to find small amounts of this fungus in your mouth, with certain conditions it can become overgrown leading to the symptoms that are referred to as oral thrush.

Oral thrush presents as creamy white legions inside your mouth, most often centered on your inner cheeks or tongue. If left unchecked it can spread to more surfaces like your gums, tonsils, roof of your mouth or back of your throat.

Where does oral thrush come from?

Your immune system is designed to fight back against harmful invaders like viruses, fungi and bacteria while also balancing the presence of the good and bad microbes that are always present in your body. However sometimes, thanks to a variety of reasons, your immune system can fail which can result in an oral thrush infection.

How to prevent oral thrush

There are several things you can do to help prevent an oral thrush infection from taking hold in your mouth. While oral thrush could be a sign of a bigger issue, if you find yourself struggling with the condition these things would be the first things to ensure you’re on top of.

Develop and follow a mouth health routine

Brushing your teeth at least twice a day and flossing regularly can help you prevent the development of oral thrush.

Rinse regularly

Using water to rinse your mouth out after eating or using an inhaler will help wash unwanted bacteria and fungus from your mouth and gums.

Take care of your dentures

How you care for and clean your dentures can make a difference in whether you can keep an oral thrush infection at bay. Be sure that they fit well and don’t cause irritation and remove them at night, cleaning them as per your dentist’s instructions.

Eat well

The foods you eat and beverages you drink can either help or hinder your overall mouth health and your potential to develop oral thrush. Foods and drinks that contain a high amount of sugar can increase the growth of candida fungus. What you consume can also help improve your immune system so eating a healthy diet can help keep your body working as hard as it can to keep you healthy.

Stay on top of dry mouth

If your mouth is too dry too often it can lead to problems regulating the growth of bacteria and fungus. See your dentist if you find that you’re having trouble treating dry mouth on your own.

Watch your blood sugar

If you have diabetes, maintaining good blood sugar is beneficial for more than just your body health. Keeping your blood sugar levels in check can help reduce sugar levels in your saliva which can in turn reduce the chance of candida growth.

Visit your dentist regularly

No matter what kind of situation you have with your mouth health, visiting your dentist regularly is the best way to stay ahead of any concerns. Your dentist can help detect early warning signs of potential issues and help you troubleshoot if you’re experiencing an oral thrush infection.

Oral thrush is treatable

While it can be an annoying and uncomfortable infection, oral thrush is actually very treatable. If you’ve caught it in the beginning stages you can try some of the methods mentioned here to help reduce the inflammation. However, if you’re noticing a recurring issue or have any concerns, a visit to your dentist might be in order. Your dentist can help you determine what is bringing on your oral thrush infection and guide you on the steps to take to help treat it and prevent it from returning.