Can You Die From Oral Thrush & How Do You Stop It From Spreading?

Oral thrush or oral candidiasis implies an oral condition, where the fungus called Candida albicans collects on the patients’ mouth linings. Candida is a regular organism present in the mouth of a person but it some cases, it overgrows to cause symptoms and complications.

Oral thrush leads to the formation of creamy and white-colored lesions often on the inner cheeks and the tongue. However, in some cases, oral thrush spreads to the mouth roof, tonsils, gums and the back area of one’s throat. Oral thrush may affect every individual. However, it often takes place in old adults and babies, as they have a relatively weak immune system.⁽¹⁾

If a person has an extremely weak immune system, the oral thrush infection or Candida infection, in that case, covers most of the tongue and mouth surfaces, while spreads to the patients’ esophagus.

Oral Thrush Leads To Esophagus Candidiasis: Esophagus candidiasis is a common problem in individuals, who have a suppressed immune system and takes place deep in the throat. The problem usually remains undetected at the time of oral examination.

When Esophagus Thrush Becomes Severe: However, when the esophageal thrush associated with oral thrush reaches its severe form, Candidiasis yeast may create difficulty to swallow food and chest pain.

When Candida Migrates to Gastrointestinal Tract: Once the Candida fungi migrate the gastrointestinal tract, they set up in various other body organs, including the kidneys and the lungs. In this situation, if you leave your oral or esophagus thrust untreated, you may even suffer death.

When Candida Enters The Bloodstream: When the Candida from oral or esophagus thrush progresses and enters your bloodstream, it results in Candida Sepsis. During this stage, the treatment and recovery of a patient become extremely difficult. Other than this, if we talk about the death rate because of later phases of Candidiasis, it may go to a maximum of 70%.⁽²⁾

If you are a patient of oral thrush, you may prevent its spread by taking the following mentioned actions-

Strictly Follow Good Oral Hygiene: You should make sure to follow good oral hygiene strictly. This means you should make a habit to brush your teeth for a minimum 2 times in one day and floss it for a minimum one time in one day.

Avoid The Usage Of Certain Sprays And/Or Mouthwashes: There are a few of the mouthwashes and sprays available in the market, which intend to destroy the regular balance of good bacteria or similar types of microorganisms present in your mouth. Hence, before you should buy a specific spray or mouthwash, you should discuss it with your doctor or dentist well and choose the safe ones to apply in your mouth.

Visit A Dental Office Regularly: If you are a diabetic patient, wear dentures or already an oral thrush patient, you should make sure to see your dentist or visiting a dental office regularly.

Limit Your Yeast And Sugar Intake: You should avoid having foods, which contain a high amount of sugar and yeast, like wine, beer, and bread. These types of foods often encourage the growth of Candida in the mouth.

Quit Smoking And Alcohol Intake: You should stop the intake of alcohol or quit the habit of smoking cigarettes.

Disinfect Your Dentures: You should discuss with your dentist about the effective ways to disinfect your unclean dentures to avoid causing oral thrush infection further.

Rinse Your Mouth With Warm Saltwater: You should dissolve 1/2 teaspoon salt in one-cup warm water. You should rinse your mouth with this water and spit it out. However, you should never the solution.⁽³⁾⁽⁴⁾

To conclude, we should say that oral candidiasis or oral thrush causes the death of an individual if it converts to the esophagus thrush or spreads to other organs in a human body. However, the positive thing is that one can prevent death or at least avoid the spread of oral thrush to other organs by following certain steps simply at home.

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Also Read:

• Oral Thrush: Causes, Risk Factors, Investigations, Treatment, Home Remedies, Prevention
• What are the Common Mouth Problems & What is its Cure?
• 5 Common Tongue Problems
• What Causes White Spots On The Tonsils & How To Manage It?
• What are the Causes of a Green Tongue, Know its Treatment, Complications, Prognosis
• What are the Causes of White Spots on Throat?
• Sore Throat Vs Strep Throat: Differences Worth Knowing
• What Are The First Symptoms Of Oral Thrush & How Do You Test For It?