I have been under treatment for gum disease for three weeks. Part of my treatment has been to rinse my mouth using a hydrogen peroxide solution. Yesterday I woke up with white patches on the insides of my cheeks and on my tongue, and they bled when I tried to scrape them off. I called my dentist, and he said it is an oral yeast infection, or thrush. I thought only babies got thrush!
Now I have to take more medicine on top of the rinse, and I am just really frustrated. My gums didn’t seem that bad to me, so I am wondering if I am going through all this for nothing. My mouth is really sore, and it hurts to eat. Is gum disease really that big a deal?
Anna in Miami
Dear Anna,
It sounds like your doctor should have given you more information, both on what is happening with your gums, and what can happen when you use a hydrogen peroxide rinse for more than two weeks.
Gum disease can be very, very serious, even when you have few symptoms. In fact, sometimes people don’t have any symptoms at all! This is one of the biggest reasons why regular dental care is so important. Sometimes gum disease can only be detected by a professional exam that includes x-rays.
It is very important that you continue with the prescribed treatments for your gum disease. Left untreated, gum disease can cause you to lose teeth, and can have a negative impact on your whole body health. Recent research has tied gum disease to heart disease, diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis.
In your case, what has happened is that the hydrogen peroxide solution used to treat your gum disease has upset the balance of bacteria in your mouth. The rinse you are using has killed off bacteria that were keeping the Candida Albicans bacteria in balance, and the end result is an oral yeast infection, also know as candidiasis or thrush.
Your dentist may have prescribed an anti-fungal medication to help clear up the thrush. Another simple thing you can do to address this issue is to increase your consumption of yogurt that contains active cultures. Several popular brands of yogurt clearly advertise that they contain Lactobacillus acidophilus, which is a powerful natural anti-fungal.
I hope this information helps. If you are still feeling confused or uncertain about your treatment, do please contact your dentist and ask for more information. Good luck!