How Can You Get Oral Thrush?

Oral thrush is a fungal infection that takes hold in your mouth. It is a condition that is caused by fungal yeast called Candida albicans. Half of all people have Candida in their bodies, but sometimes the amount of Candida present can multiply out of control. When this happens, the symptoms of oral thrush can show up on your tongue, cheeks or even your throat.

Oral thrush is contagious, but most people do not catch the condition from others. In most cases the oral thrush is sparked by Candida levels in their own body growing out of control. There are various reasons that this can occur, but the most common one is that the immune system is unable to fight off the growth of the Candida.

Your immune system is your defense against infection. If your immune system is underperforming for some reason, then it opens the door for fungal and bacterial infections to take hold. Lots of factors can affect your immune system function, these can include: underlying health conditions, stress and diet.

There are many different health conditions that affect your immune system. Some of these include cancer, HIV, diabetes, asthma, lupus and Nezelof’s syndrome. If you do have a health condition, then you should ensure that you are protecting your health and immune system. By doing this, you are much less likely to develop oral thrush or any other type of fungal or bacterial condition. Stress is another thing that can affect your immune system function. It is estimated that stress causes up to 90 per cent of illnesses. That statistic alone should be enough to prompt everybody to take steps to minimize their stress levels as much as possible. Your diet and nutrition can also have a big impact on your immune system. Having enough vitamin B, C and iron in your system is particularly important for boosting your immune system and preventing oral thrush from developing.

Things that alter the Ph level in your mouth can also cause oral thrush to develop. Dry mouth conditions, smoking and using inhaled corticosteroids such as asthma medications can affect the Ph of the mouth and saliva and facilitate oral thrush. Wearing dentures or braces and plates can also affect the Ph of the mouth and lead to oral thrush developing on the tongue, cheeks, gums or throat.

There are many different causes of oral thrush and ways that you can develop the condition. Although it is not a serious health problem, it is best to avoid the discomfort by being aware of how you get oral thrush.