Hello everyone, :wave:

I went to the dentist a couple of months ago for my regular check up and cleaning, and he told me that I had an infection in my mouth. Basically what it is, is a white coating, that can be easily scraped off (sorry, tmi). He told me that the second stage of the infection can cause redness and swelling, and can even cause sores to appear in the mouth. Now, I've noticed this whiteness for quite some time, but I always thought it was because I bite the insides of my cheeks, and lips quite a bit. He prescribed a mouth wash for me that I used for a couple weeks, went back and saw him, and he said that the infection was gone, but if I noticed it start to creep back up again, to use the mouthwash until it was gone. So, I went for about a week without using it, and the white stuff started coming back. I used it for about another week after that, and it went away. When I stopped the mouthwash, it came back again! I have no idea what this is, or what to do, and I'm running out of this prescription mouthwash. I will most likely call my dentist, but I just wanted to see if anybody else has experienced this, or has any idea what it is, or what I can do about it. Thanks for taking the time to read this, and any opinions will be appreciated!

Whiskers :confused:

I do not know about these mouth infections but generally if you have an infection in your body, it is important to take whatever the medicine is beyond the day the symptoms are gone. If you stop as soon as the symptoms are gone, often the infection is still there and will come back. So you might have been stopping the mouthwash before all the bacteria were actually killed.

Whiskers, did they call it Thrush or a oral yeast infection at any time???? That is what it sounds like to me. Try eating plain, fruit free yogurt. The ensymes in it will help. Use a tongue brush to take off as much of the coating without irritating the gum or tongue tissue first. Rinse with warm salt water after eating or drinking, and you can even try to use tree tea oil.

Good Luck,
Casey

I think I am having the same problem because I am taking LOTS of antibiotics and for an extended period of time. Just a quick question though, why fruit-free yogurt? I was told yogurt would help but they didnt say eat it plain...yuck! I guess ill try it though.

I do not know why, I just do as told. But just so you know, I too asked the doctor and the pharmacist why it had to be the disgusting plain type and they just said because it is what works best.

Casey

I am having the same issue now. I just purposely ate ice cream to make sure I have it and sure enough my tongue turned white - it was creepy. I noticed some raised taste buds and that's what alerted me to it. Then I followed a spit test I read on line. you leave a glass of water out at night - in the morning before anything else - spit in it. If it looks like a spider web - you have oral yeast infection. If it dissolves you don't have it.

I went to the dentist too and he thought I had it but he gave me nothing. I don't know who else can prescribe it. But the medicine to use and he told me this and anyone will tell you - is called i believe Nystatin or something like that. It's prescription.

Good luck. I wll let you know what my dr. says - when i find out - so it can be of help to you.

Hi everybody,
Thank you all SO much for the help! Probably almost a year back, I began looking into this problem (of the white film on my cheeks), and I ended up thinking that it was possibly oral thrush. I asked a doctor about this, and he said I didn't have it, but I don't really trust this doctor's opinion. I also take an advair inhaler, and I think that can cause the thrush. My dentist didn't say what the infection was, and I didn't think to ask. He just prescribed the mouthwash and told me to take use it. I actually was having a problem with constant vaginal yeast infections (sorry, tmi :o ), so my doctor prescribed a pill to take orally, which she said would get rid of it. Would the pill that I took get rid of both types of yeast infections? It did get rid of the one I was actually taking it for. If this is oral thrush, is there anything I can do besides eating yogurt that will help? And will eating yogurt every day actually get rid of the infection, or just the side affect of the white film? I will definitely try that spit test, BeingThin. Thanks!

Whiskers :wave:

I have never personally tried the spit test but will the next time I get it. I take alot of antibiotics because of this bone infection. Ummm, not all vaginal yeast infection medications will work on oral thrush. I do believe that someone said something about nystatin and I remember that from when my daughter was little. I cant take any other medications because of my treatment plan but I would check into that. And I have only had to eat the yogurt a couple times a day for a few days and it is gone. Or at least until the next round of antibiotics are started.

My mom was on several different inahaler because of COPD. A few of them gave her a rash in her mouth some were white and some caused bleeding. But in both cases her doctor had told her that immediately after taking her inhaler treatment that she gargle with warm water to remove the layer off her cheeks and tongue. Try to give that a try. Mom did not have a yeast infection. It was a skin allergic reaction to the medication. That may be your issue and its not a yeast infection. I know I was not allowed to use mouthwash with alcohol in it. It just aggrivates the whole situation.

Good Luck

C

Whiskers, I read somewhere on this board that inhalers do cause thrush. That's the problem I am having every doctor is sending me to another.

To answer your question, oral and down below infections are separate. HOWEVER, I do THINK (but you should ask because i could be totally wrong) a medication in PILL form might take care of both. I don't know. I do know for the oral one the dentist told me Nystatin or something like that. I have used Nystatin for down below - not as a cure but for the external portion but that's the cream. The one for the mouth must be different. I don't know yet. I will find out today and let you know what I was prescribed.

I haven't had yogurt in a few days and I don't know how much help it was to be honest since I still have it. However, for down below if what I had was yeast (because I think I went from yeast to bacterial and back and forth), it might have helped. I have discharge but the dr. seems to think it's bacterial this time. I will know later.

I wish I could help more. I don't know what else to tell you except my experience.

Good luck :-)

this posted twice - got an error message.

Sorry about the bone infection hon. I am so glad that yogurt helps you. I hope it helps everyone out there. I have no clue which infection i have at the moment so it's hard to tell if yogurt helps - lol.

Carat - sorry about your daughter too. What made her get it? What does it look like on a child. Meaning what was her symptoms that made you realize she had it? Did it go away?

Nystatin
My daughter got thrush as an infant. I was told then, 17 years ago, it was a common illness for a new born. I remember them saying it was transferred from me to her during her birth. They gave her nystatin, in a purple liquid form. It was a nightmare to give to a newborn. Everything was purple for a few days. I was given a pill and within a week we were both doing fine.

The thrush that I have been getting recently has been from the antibiotics. I asked yesterday while I was at the pharmacy about nystatin, the pharmacist says I can not take it because it will cause severe side effects when mixed with some of the other medications that I am currently taking.

I also asked about the yogurt. The enzymes in yogurt help the symptoms of thrush. It will not cure it. A thrush outbreak can only be cured with removing the infection. Or by a medication such as nystatin. All oral thrush medications are prescription only. My infection is actually the antibiotics. So as I switch from one to another it comes and goes. So whiskers, if your inhaler is what is causing the thrush he suggested to do as my mother did and rinse out her mouth immediately after using the inhaler. If that does not help then to talk to your doctor about switching medications. He said that sometimes the generic brand of a drug will cause thrush when the true drug does not.
Also, yeast infections is a broad spectrum name for about 500 different types of infections. A doctor will determine the treatment plan based on the type of symptoms, the area where the symptoms are, different changes in lifestyle that could cause the infection such as your inhalers, or other medications.
I hope that this helps you out.

Good Luck
C

Hi all,
Thanks again for the posts. This has all helped me out greatly. I now know that it is most likely one of two things: oral thrush, or an side affect (or allergic reaction) from my advair inhaler. I did actually notice the white film appear around the time I began using the inhaler. I guess that could be my answer right there.... I wasn't told by my doctor when I first began taking it, to rinse out my mouth afterward, I learned that I was supposed to be doing that from this board, actually. So I've been rinsing after EVERY time I use it for months now. I also use a non-alcohol based mouth wash, and still have the white film, so I guess that doesn't help either. Does anybody know if I should ask my doctor about this, or my dentist (the doctor I'm currently seeing isn't the one I originally asked about this)? BeingThin, please keep me updated on what your doctor says about your situation! I will do a search on the net for Nystatin, and see what it says. Thanks again!

Whiskers :wave:

Hi there - I have some news for you that will hopefully give you some clues based on my experience.

I got my one result from a throat culture and there is no yeast. The tongue one is not back yet - dr. told me it takes 7-10 days for yeast to grow and for them to be sure. I asked if it was really bad oral thrush what would happen? Wouldn't it come back sooner - she said she BELIEVES but is not sure if it was that bad it would have grown faster and we'd know. She thinks it's not going to be positive either. So I don't get it. Maybe white tongue is normal sometimes? I have no clue. I took my daughter too because hers looked white too and her pediatrician says she doesn't have it and told me he doesn't think I do either.

He said it would be a loss of appetite and you'd literally see white patches on the sides of the inner mouth. I thought it was white patches on tongue. He said if it was actually oral yeast infection and it was a white patch - scraping it wouldn't remove it. I didn't know that either. He thought he saw something when I pressed him to look but he said he can scrape it so it's not it.

I hope that helps a bit to figure out if you have it or not.

Please update me too. I will be gone for a week starting Saturday but will return and check!

As far as yogurt goes, it needs to have active cultures (fruit has acid that I would guess could affect the active cultures). When you take antibiotics for an extended period, the natural flora of your mouth can be killed, allowing yeast (which is the cause of thrush) to grow. The rinse you have is probably an antifungal to combat the yeast.

All of these are guesses, and I'm not a doctor, though I have a biology degree. ;-)