Oral Thrush in Adults

Oral thrush can affect people of all ages. You often hear about it in infants, but it is a condition that is equally common in adults. There are a couple of key reasons that adults develop oral thrush. If the condition is a once off, then you have no need to worry as it is a mild health condition. If you are experiencing recurring oral thrush, then you should visit your doctor so they can rule out any underlying health conditions.

One of the key reasons that adults will develop oral thrush is wearing dentures. Around 7 out of 10 denture wearers will develop the condition at some point. If you do wear dentures, then you need to ensure that you are maintaining a high standard of oral hygiene to prevent oral thrush from developing. You should speak to your dentist about the correct method of dental care to avoid any problems with thrush or other infections inside the mouth.

The most common reason that otherwise healthy adults will develop oral thrush is through using antibiotics. When taking antibiotics they eliminate all of the bacteria in your body, the bad bacteria that is causing the problem you are treating with the antibiotic and the good bacteria that protects your health too. When the good bacteria are eradicated from your body, the micro-organisms in your body can begin to multiply out of control and lead to problems such oral thrush. If you do have to take antibiotics, then you should take preventative measures such as buying some acidophilus capsules and rinsing your mouth out with salty water regularly throughout the day.

Oral thrush may also occur due to a more serious underlying health condition. If you are experiencing recurring oral thrush problems, then you will need to make an appointment with your GP so that they can do a full health check up and find the cause of the thrush. It may be that the treatments you have used have simply not gotten rid of all the thrush in your mouth and the micro-organism multiplies again. When you get the right treatment and use it correctly for the recommended amount of time, it may disappear once and for all. If the thrush keeps coming back, then there may be an undiagnosed health condition that is causing it. There are lots of health conditions that may compromise the immune system and lead to conditions such as oral thrush occurring. Your doctor will be able to do a thorough check and ensure there is nothing serious that is leading to the thrush in your mouth.