Imagine waking up to a mouth that feels as if it’s been overtaken by a strange, burning sensation, only to discover stubborn white, creamy patches coating your tongue and inner cheeks. This unexpected invasion isn’t just painful, uncomfortable and embarrassing; it’s a classic sign of oral thrush.
Oral thrush is a fungal infection that turns your mouth into a battleground of irritation and discomfort, often leaving you feeling self-conscious and distressed.
Speaking to Health For Mzansi, Luyanda Buthelezi from Newcastle in KwaZulu-Natal describes his experience with the persistent odour and strange taste lingering in his mouth due to oral thrush as increasingly unsettling.
“My mouth started smelling very bad. Even people around me were telling me about the smell, and I felt embarrassed.”
Luyanda Buthelezi
“I would wash my mouth, and then, after an hour or more, my mouth would taste funny. I even lost a sense of taste; even when I ate sugary stuff, I hardly tasted the sugar.”
“Oral thrush affected my daily life badly when my tongue was creamy white. Because I work at a retail store, dealing with customers was hard because I was not comfortable with them talking to me with my nasty white tongue.”
In response to his ordeal, Buthelezi says he continued using regular toothpaste but mixed it with bicarbonate of soda. He also started buying mouthwash and cutting sugar since his oral thrush was also a result of sugar.
Madness in your mouth
Also termed oral candidiasis, Dr Nandiswa Magaba of Nice Smile Dentists in Johannesburg says oral thrush manifests as adherent, creamy white plaques resembling cottage cheese or curdled milk on the tongue, inner cheeks, the roof of the mouth, or tonsils.
She says these symptoms may be accompanied by red, burning areas, difficulty swallowing, and even bleeding if irritated. Additionally, individuals may experience fissures at the corners of the mouth, loss of taste, and bad breath.
“Several risk factors that predispose individuals to oral thrush include a compromised immune system due to conditions like HIV/Aids with a low CD4+ cell count, chemotherapy or radiation therapy, uncontrolled diabetes mellitus, and leukaemia,” Magaba explains.
“Other factors, such as antibiotic therapy, may destroy normal bacteria in the mouth, allowing the fungus to multiply freely without competition. Denture wearing – sleeping with dentures at night, improper or absent denture cleaning practices – dry mouth, and smoking, also increase susceptibility.”
Magaba says oral thrush can be effectively treated with antifungal medications such as nystatin oral suspension, clotrimazole, ketoconazole, and fluconazole, which cause the fungus to die and prevent further growth.
“The choice of treatment depends on the severity of the infection. Mild candidiasis can be treated with topical antifungals, e.g., Nystatin liquid suspension or Clotrimazole lozenges.”
Dr Nandiswa Magaba
“Moderate-to-severe candidiasis can be treated with fluconazole, which works systemically. This medication can also be indicated in cases of topical treatment failure. Alternatives to fluconazole are itraconazole solution and posaconazole suspension.”
Home remedies
In addition to medical treatments, Magaba discusses various home remedies that can provide relief from candidiasis (a fungal infection caused by candida, a yeast):
- To treat mild candidiasis, rinsing and spitting warm salt water, due to its antiseptic properties, can provide relief.
- Probiotic plain yoghurt contains beneficial bacteria that may provide competition for the fungus and thus prevent its growth. The yoghurt consumed should be unsweetened since candida thrives on sugar.
- Lemon juice has both anti-fungal and antiseptic properties.
- Tumeric has natural antifungal properties. A mixture can be made by mixing ½ teaspoon of turmeric paste and black pepper with water or milk. It should be noted that turmeric causes staining of the mucosa and the teeth.
Prevent oral thrush
Magaba advises on ways to prevent oral thrush, such as:
- When using a corticosteroid inhaler, the mouth should be rinsed with water after administering the medication.
- Good denture care practices include removing the denture from the mouth at night, washing it with a toothbrush and soap, and then storing it in water.
- Maintaining a controlled diabetes mellitus to prevent being in an immunocompromised state.
- Management of dry mouth by artificial saliva, sugar-free gum to stimulate saliva production or regular sips of water.
- Routine dentist visits are especially important for individuals with dentures and diabetes.
- Since candida thrives on sugar, there should be limitations on the consumption of sugar-containing foods and beverages.
- Good daily oral hygiene routine – brushing in the morning and evening and the use of dental floss.
“Rarely does oral thrush have significant complications in healthy individuals. However, for people who have a suppressed immune system, such as HIV-positive people or those undergoing cancer therapy, untreated oral thrush can spread systemically through the oesophagus or other parts of the body, resulting in systemic candida infections that require even more aggressive treatment.”
ALSO READ: Battling mouth ulcers: How to go from pain to prevention
Get the Health For Mzansi newsletter: Your bi-weekly dose of kasi health, wellness and self-care inspiration.
