Dry Mouth and Oral Thrush

The mouth is a pretty amazing thing. And for the most part, it is pretty darn good at holding it's own when it comes to health conditions. Many nasty organisms find it to be a very inhospitable environment. But, some people, a lot in fact, do suffer from some issues in this area including two I have personal experience with, dry mouth and oral thrush.

First off, if you experience either of these conditions, don't be embarrassed. Millions of people have had them from time to time and it has nothing to do with your oral hygiene. Now that we've put that out there, let me get into each of these issues a little more.

Dry mouth is pretty much what is sounds like. It's a lack of moisture, typical a lack of enough saliva, in your mouth. One of the most obvious symptoms includes feeling a lack of wetness. As you would probably guess, an easy step you can take to combat this problem is hydration. However, not all forms of hydration are created equal. Some are better than others and some can actually be more of a problem than a solution. For that reason, you're best to stick with good old H2O.

Another thing you can do to counteract dry mouth is to chew gum. Sure, it's not the healthiest thing in general but it does stimulate the generation of saliva in your system. If you go to a pharmacy or a store with a large section of healthcare products, you will probably be able to find something specifically formulated for dry mouth.

With that in mind, it's probably a good idea to use a specially designed toothpaste and mouth wash. These can make a world of difference. I use a brand called Biotene but there are several options out there including store bands that can save you some money.

Oral thrush is a bit of a different animal. Most of us have heard of yeast infections, common among women. Well, oral thrush is a genetic name for what essentially amount to a yeast infection in the mouth. Now before you get yourself all grossed out, let me explain. There is an organism called Candida that is always present in our bodies. It's only when there is an overgrowth that it become a problem. This occurs most often in people who are immunocompromised or have recently been sick and treated with strong antibiotics.

In the case of antibiotics, the drugs kill bacteria. But they do not discriminate between good and bad bacteria, they just kill all types. That allows for candida to thrive.

Of course, you can go to the doctor and pay your copay and get them to prescribe an anti-fungal, which is often quite costly. If you don't have that kind of money or resources, you can do a few things.

One thing you can try, which will temporary hep but not really do much long-term, is to buy a tongue sweeper and use it as directed. This will basically function like a lawn mover cutting grass. It will take off a layer of the yeast but not remove it.

You can take a probiotic like Acidophilus, or get it in the form of yogurt. This won't kill the candida but will stimulate the growth of good bacteria to fight it. It's a good thing to have as part of your regular diet or supplement routine.

When it comes to actually killing candida, you can check out two very common food products. The first one is garlic. If you're anything like me, you might like that considering it's a big part of a Mediterranean diet and food from the great culinary location of Italy. The second one, which is a little less tasty and often pricier, is coconut oil. But don't fret over it, if you have a decent dollar store nearby they might carry it. I know my local Dollar Tree does.

These are probably your best bests for trying to treat these two issue yourself and without the cost of a doctor's visit or expensive prescription meds. Don't expect results overnight but just keep at it and you might just be satisfied with the results.