When you have a yeast infection in your mouth, it’s called thrush, it’s characterized by redness and white bumps, and it can be painful. Newborns, infants, and older adults are the most susceptible, but it can occur in anyone at any age. In healthy babies, thrush 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 nipples and pacifiers regularly and gently massage the inside of your mouth with a clean, damp cloth.
If you’re breastfeeding, you should also treat your nipples so you don’t transfer the yeast infection between you and your child. There are antifungal medications available, but your baby can also eat those chemicals, 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 need to take:
-Remove dentures before going to bed.
-Use a clean toothbrush and water to scrub them well.
-Soak them overnight in chlorhexidine gluconate, which you can get from a pharmacist. You can also use a denture cleanser (such as Polident or Efferdent) that is sold at most drugstores 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 fluoride 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 fungi. The downside 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 teeth twice a day, flossing once a day and using an antiseptic mouthwash. If this is your second round with thrush, you need to 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 higher 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 yeast infections. This reduces the chance of the baby getting thrush during delivery. Treating vaginal thrush also helps prevent the spread of thrush during oral sex.
-Wash all teats and pacifiers daily, if you prepare bottles and teats ahead of time, store them in the refrigerator to reduce the chance of yeast growth.
– Yeast can begin 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 the mouth should be put in the dishwasher or boiled for 20 min.
-As soon as your baby has wet, you should change the diaper. Warm, moist areas are the perfect environment for the yeast that causes yeast 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 passed a yeast infection to you.
If your baby has an infection elsewhere and needs antibiotics after each dose, they should rinse their mouth out with water. Taking oral antibiotics can cause disruption of the balance of bacteria in the mouth, which can allow the 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 medicine by 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 throw the swab away.
Do not put anything back into the medicine bottle to avoid cross-contamination with yeast.
There are things you can do to reduce the discomfort, such as drink cold drinks (avoid very sugary drinks), try water or iced teas.
Also flavored ice treats or frozen juice, as well as gelatin, ice cream, and custard that are easy to swallow. If it hurts when you swallow, 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 that thick white film off your tongue, check out thrush cures.
