Candida Infection of the Mouth

Oral candidiasis -- also known as Oral thrush, is a condition in which the fungus Candida albicans accumulates on the lining of your mouth and tongue. Candida is a normal organism in your mouth, but sometimes it can overgrow and cause symptoms. When the fungus begins to grow uncontrollably, an infection can develop.

Oral Candida

Oral thrush most often occurs in infants and toddlers, people receiving cancer therapies, diabetics, and anyone with a compromised immune system. If you have any history of taking antibiotics or heavy metal toxicity (including mercury fillings),  you are a prime candidate for a Candida infection. 

There are many cases of patients with a long history of “stubborn” candida overgrowth and yeast infections that couldn’t be easily healed. Only when the heavy metal toxicity problem was addressed, the candida overgrowth became easier to manage. This is very common in people that have mercury fillings or a known exposure to mercury.

Oral Symptoms of Candidiasis:

• Creamy white lesions on your tongue, inner cheeks, and sometimes on the roof of your mouth, gums and tonsils

• Slightly raised lesions with a cottage cheese-like appearance

• Redness, burning or soreness that may be severe enough to cause difficulty eating or swallowing

• Slight bleeding if the lesions are rubbed or scraped

• Cracking and redness at the corners of your mouth

• A cottony feeling in your mouth

• Loss of taste

• Redness, irritation and pain under dentures (denture stomatitis)

Other Symptoms of Candidiasis:

• fatigue

• skin issues

• sugar cravings

• autoimmune disease

• digestive issues

• joint pain

• headache

• brain fog

Some Simple Remedies for Treating Oral Thrush:

1. Salt water rinses

2. Oral probiotics throughout the day: yogurt, manuka honey, probiotics lozenges

3. Coconut Oil Pulling

4. Apple Cider Vinegar to maintain proper pH and increase good bacteria in the mouth

5. Tea Tree Oil or Peppermint Oil rinse. Gargle with few drops added to warm water

6. Baking Soda to maintain good pH by neutralizing acids in the mouth

7. Chewing garlic

8. Grapefruit seed extract rinse

9. Aloe vera applied directly to the lesions

10. Visit your dentist for treatment with ozone or laser treatment  

In severe cases, usually related to cancer or a weakened immune system from HIV/AIDS, the lesions may spread downward into the esophagus — the foodpipe stretching from the back of your mouth to your stomach. If this occurs, you may experience difficulty swallowing and pain or feel as if food is getting stuck in your throat.

Thrush is uncommon in healthy children and adults, so if thrush develops, see your doctor to determine if further evaluation is needed to check for an underlying medical condition or other cause.