Oral yeast infection caused by yeast overgrowth
When you have a yeast infection in your mouth, it’s called a thrush. It’s characterized by redness and white bumps and can be painful. Newborns, infants, and older adults are most susceptible, but it can occur in anyone at any age. In healthy babies, yeast infection is usually not a serious problem and can be easily treated and cured naturally.
With a mild case of thrush, all you need to do is clean/sterilize bottle and pacifier nipples regularly and gently massage the inside of your mouth with a clean, damp cloth.
If you are breastfeeding, you should also treat your nipples so that you do not transfer the yeast infection between you and your child. There are antifungal medications available, but your baby can eat those chemicals too, so we prefer the natural approach. You can also apply lanolin to help relieve sore nipples.
If you wear dentures and develop thrush, it is very important that you clean your dentures every night and also treat your mouth, here are the steps you should follow:
-Remove dentures before going to bed.
-Use a clean toothbrush and water to scrub your teeth well.
-Soak them overnight in chlorhexidine gluconate, which you can get from a pharmacist. You can also use a denture cleaner (such as Polident or Efferdent) that is available at most drug or grocery stores.
-If you use Chlorhexidine Gluconate to clean your dentures, you should rinse them very well in the morning. Do not use a fluoridated toothpaste for at least 30 minutes, as fluoride has a debilitating effect on chlorhexidine gluconate.
There is a dye called Gentian Violet (1%). This dye will kill bacteria and fungus. The drawback is that it only needs to be used once. If you can’t get rid of all the fungus, you should try another remedy. It is available without a prescription, but should only be used in adults. Here are some preventative tips that can help:
-It is necessary to have good oral hygiene habits, such as brushing your teeth twice a day, flossing once a day and using an antiseptic mouthwash. If this is your second round with the yeast infection, you should replace your toothbrush.
-Practice good hand washing.
-If you need to take a liquid antibiotic, you should rinse your mouth within a few minutes of taking it.
-If you have health problems such as diabetes, HIV or cancer, you are at increased risk of thrush.
-You should rinse your mouth with mouthwash after inhaling corticosteroids
-If you have AIDS, Listerine may be particularly helpful in preventing yeast infections.
Here’s how to help reduce the risks of passing thrush to babies:
-During the last 3 months of pregnancy, treat vaginal candidiasis. This reduces the chance of the baby having thrush during delivery. Vaginal yeast infection treatment also helps prevent the spread of yeast infections during oral sex.
-Wash all nipples and pacifiers daily, if you prepare bottles and nipples ahead of time, store them in the refrigerator to reduce the likelihood of yeast growth.
– Yeast can start to grow on a nipple after an hour, so if the baby has drunk from it, you should not continue to let him drink from it.
-Any object that the baby puts in his mouth should be put in the dishwasher or boiled for 20 min.
-As soon as your baby is wet, his diaper should be changed. Warm, humid areas are the perfect environment for the yeast that causes yeast infections to grow.
-If possible, breastfeeding your baby is the best thing you can do for your baby’s health. There are antibodies contained in breast milk that will help your baby’s immune system so that she can resist infections on her own.
-If you are breastfeeding and your nipples are sore and red or have pain while breastfeeding, your baby may have gotten a yeast infection.
If your baby has an infection elsewhere and needs antibiotics after each dose, he should rinse his mouth with water. Taking oral antibiotics can cause the balance of bacteria in the mouth to be disrupted, which can allow yeast overgrowth that causes yeast infection. A simple rinse with water can go a long way in preventing oral antibiotics from altering the environment of the mouth.
If you have to give your baby medication with a dropper, try to avoid putting the dropper in his mouth. You can put the medicine on a cotton swab and then on the affected area. Then discard the swab.
Do not put anything back in the medicine bottle to avoid cross-contamination with the yeast.
There are things you can do to reduce discomfort such as drinking cold drinks (avoid very sugary drinks), try water or iced teas.
Also flavored ice treats or frozen juice, as well as jelly, ice cream, and custard that are easy to swallow. If it causes pain when swallowing, try sucking gently through a straw. A warm salt water rinse several times a day can also make you feel better. (1 teaspoon-5ml, of salt in 8 oz-240 ml. of warm water).
If you want the best information on how to deal with thrush that will help you get rid of that thick white film on your tongue, check out cures for thrush.