Candida albicans is a kind of fungus that likes to grow on the human body. It is best known as the main cause of yeast infections, and the dermatological illnesses that it causes, but it is also a problem for the mouth. In babies, it comes along as oral thrush and can be treated only with strong medication. In adulthood, this fungus takes on many forms. Here is what to look out for.
Any kind of microbial infection of the mouth is likely to cause swelling, redness, sores, and little outbreaks or spots. The Herpes simplex virus, which causes cold sores, is almost indistinguishable from the early signs of candida infection of the mouth. Candida will eventually, if left to its own devices, form a matt-like fungal body on your tongue and soft tissues, essentially living off of your gums.
There is always some amount of candida in your body, usually on your skin, so getting rid of all of it is not possible and not desirable either. But an outbreak or infection of the mouth needs to be controlled or reversed if at all possible. This can be done best by taking antifungal medication, which will kill off the colony in the body, but which may have other side effects on your body as well. After taking medication, a technique called oil pulling may also get rid of the excess fungus in your body. Swish a little bit of coconut oil around in your mouth, this way it pulls off the fungal colonies from the affected tissue and makes them really easy to remove.
The best medical technique against an infection of the mouth is prevention. Candida albicans outbreaks can be prevented by having a proper diet that does not feed the fungus already in your body, thus it cannot amass enough to have an aggressive outbreak, or to have bits of you colonized. This fungus eats alcohol, carbohydrates, and sugars, so you may need to eat fewer carbs and less sugar if you want to avoid or cut down the rate of infection of the mouth. Fungi usually do not like oils and fats, so eating lots of nutritious, but greasy food is a good way to starve the fungus in your body.
