Thrush Mouth
Oral Yeast Infection
Thrush mouth ie mouth yeast infection is when Candida albicans invades the mouth.
Whilst not being a cure-all, probiotics do seem to help some people with this mouth yeast infection.
What is thrush?
The signs of oral thrush are creamy white curds or cottage cheese patches inside the mouth. It shows as a definite coating. The tongue and inner cheek are the most common spots but it can spread to your gums, tonsils and the roof of your mouth. See Thrush Mouth Symptoms for a full list of signs.
For most people a yeast infection in the mouth is not a serious problem but for the elderly and those with weakened immune symptoms it can be more serious.
Thrush is one of those things that look worse than it is! If you do have it, then check out oral thrush treatment for a few probiotic answers and tips for denture wearers.
Normally, your mouth contains a complex mix of bacteria and fungi, and as there is fierce competition for elbow room, all parties are held in check. If, for some reason, the bacteria numbers are decreased then some of the fungi try to take over. This is why it is so important to NOT USE any antibacterial form of control because as you wipe out the bacteria, the fungi will have even MORE opportunity to spread.
Don't make it too easy for the little varmints!
Is thrush mouth contagious?
Thrush is simply an overgrowth of the yeast cells that we all have in our mouth, on our skin and in our digestive tract. Candida albicans is a normal part of our body microflora. So in that sense an oral yeast infection is not contagious - we already have our own supply.
However, if you are in intimate contact with someone who does hve a mouth yeast infection you will likely gather up a whole lot more of this fungi and it just might be that the sudden increase is enough to "give you thrush".
See Is Oral Thrush Contagious for more detail.
REFERENCES
1. Elahi S, Pang G, Ashman R, Clancy R. Enhanced clearance of Candida albicans from the oral cavity of mice following oral administration of Lactobacillus acidophilus. Clin Exp Immunol. 2005 July; 141(1):29-36
2. Hatakka K, Ahola AJ, Yli-Knuuttila H, Richardson M, Poussa T, Meurman JH, Korpela R. Probiotics reduce the prevalence of oral candida in the elderly--a randomized controlled trial. J Dent Res. 2007 Feb;86(2):125-30
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