What happens in Oral Candidiasis?

The major signs of oral candidiasis are the appearance of whitish or cream-colored patches all over the mouth, including the palate, tongue, cheeks, lips, gums and the throat. These patches are areas of the flourishing fungus. The oral mucosa beneath the easily wiped-off white patches reveals areas of inflamed raw, red tissue which burns and itches. It may even bleed spontaneously if exposed, and can be very painful. As a result, the patient will obviously find it very difficult to eat.

People affected by the condition can also experience temporary loss of taste sensation, due to the excessive covering of the tongue with the fungus. They may also experience dry, cotton- like mouth. The corners of the mouth may also be affected and can become dry and cracked, leading to reduced mouth opening due to the discomfort it causes.

Oral thrush or candidiasis can also spread down the esophagus, causing pain and difficulty in swallowing. In very severe cases, the fungus can spread into the lungs and become a systemic disease, entering the blood, which is a highly dangerous consequence. This is known as systemic candidiasis, which is difficult to treat and may even be fatal.

What causes Oral Candidiasis?

Oral candidiasis will normally be resultant of predisposing factors. The most likely cause of oral thrush in babies is breast feeding milk, and their lack of oral hygiene.

As for adults, people with uncontrolled and severe diabetes are most likely to suffer frequent yeast infections of the mouth due the high levels of sugar in their blood stream. The yeast feeds on this sugar and overgrows in the mouth, as it is a normal commensal of the mouth within normal ranges.

Other reasons for oral candidiasis are severely compromised immune levels such as in HIV/AIDS. The lack of immune function results on fungal overgrowth. Cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy also suffer immune deficiency, and they too are likely to suffer from oral yeast infections.

Asthmatic patients using corticosteroid inhalers are also highly susceptible to oral candidiasis. The steroid drug tends to settle within the mouth after use, and so should be rinsed out after it is inhaled. When this is not practiced, the fungal infection can result.

People using potent anti-biotics are very likely to suffer oral candidiasis. Anti- biotics destroy infectious bacteria within the body, along with the normal bacteria found all over the system as well. The normal flora of the mouth is thus affected and decreased, reducing the defenses in the mouth and allowing the yeast to overgrow and cause candidiasis.

Elderly patients who wear dentures for prolonged hours and who do not maintain good oral hygiene are also very likely to suffer from oral candidiasis, especially in the regions where the denture contacts the oral tissues, such as the roof of the mouth (palate).

Finally, hormonal changes in the body such as in pregnancy can also be a possible cause of oral yeast infections.

Not to worry

Oral candidiasis is not a dangerous or serious condition unless it is left untreated, in which case it can lead to systemic candidiasis. It can easily be treated with appropriate anti-fungal mouthwashes and gels, and even systemic drugs if necessary. The key to avoiding oral candidiasis is prevention, and to control all predisposing factors.

How Smoking Affects  Teeth and Gums

Smoking has the obvious side-effects of discoloring and staining teeth. This is because it causes reduction in salivary flow in the mouth, reducing the washing effect the saliva has on teeth. The tar and nicotine are allowed to persist on the tooth surfaces, thus become permanent stains and cannot be removed by brushing the teeth.

Nicotine causes vasoconstriction, which is constriction of blood vessels. When the blood flow to the mouth and gums is compromised, so is the supply of vital nutrients and Vitamin C to the gums. This leads to delayed healing of diseased or damaged gums, and easy bleeding on gentle pressure- a condition called Scurvy.

Healing after any dental treatment is also slowed down due to smoking. Even routine scaling can lead to excessive bleeding from and delayed healing of the irritated gums, owing to the depressed immunity of a smoker.

Smoking and Bad Breath

Smoking also causes discoloration of the oral soft tissues, such as the gums, lips, tongue and roof of the mouth. This is due to deposits of nicotine within these tissues from the blood. It gives an unpleasant appearance to the smoker. Another negative affect of smoking is chronic bad breath or halitosis. A smoker finds it exceptionally difficult to have fresh, clean breath and so either always has bad breath or has to constantly resort to chewing mint gums to maintain fresh breath. Excessive chewing itself can cause jaw problems.

Periodantal Disease and Smoking

Periodontal disease is strongly linked to smoking. This is damage to the supporting structures of the teeth, which ultimately results in tooth loss if not treated. Periodontal disease can be the result of a suppressed immune system, along with bad oral hygiene. Smoking is known to suppress the immune system of the body. Due to this, a normal bacterial infection in the mouth can be increased in severity up to 6 times in smokers than non-smokers.

Gum Recession and Smoking

Since the body is unable to fight off infection efficiently, the bacteria in the mouth are given easier access to flourish and accumulate between the teeth and gums as plaque. The excessive buildup of plaque irritates the gums, causing easy bleeding and gum recession. Gum recession will expose the root surfaces of teeth, causing increased tooth sensitivity and more susceptibility to decay. Furthermore, gum recession will be followed by bone destruction, so the bone supporting the teeth also recedes, causing the teeth to become mobile and to eventually fall out.

Other Effects of Smoking on Teeth

Other effects of smoking also exist.Tartar buildup in smokers is much faster, so smokers have to visit the dentist more often for scaling and cleaning to have it removed, along with the stains on their teeth. Many smokers do not, which again leads to the very likely potential of developing periodontal diseases and eventually tooth loss.

The fact that cigarettes contain tobacco shines light on the potential to develop oral cancer. Tobacco in any form is a high risk factor for oral cancer, and so smoking is a major potentiating factor.

Smoking is overall never favored. It should be stopped and it is never too late to try quitting.

An addict needs to have the will and the dedication to want to quit the terrible habit of tobacco consumption. He must know the health risks, and once he is able to realize the significance of the dangers of tobacco, only then will he be able to quit.

Where to begin

An addict should ask himself why he wants to quit. Some of the reasons may be the fear of getting cancer, pressure from loved ones to quit the habit, the dislike for stains on the teeth and the bad breath that comes with tobacco usage, a drive to improve lifestyle and to make a change. The reasons of wanting to quit may be numerous, but once the desire to do so is strong enough, getting started becomes a lot easier.

How to Start

Stopping tobacco usage for an addict can require many steps and phases. To begin with, the user should begin with setting a goal or a specific date to work towards. It will be difficult to suddenly stop, so trying to taper off the dosage and amount of tobacco used will help. Also, throwing away excessive stores of tobacco will give a strong sense of closure and empowerment over the drug. It will boost the user’s confidence to do better.

Self- encouragement is a key to quitting tobacco usage. Asking close friends and family to help with encouragement will make such things much easier to let go of. If the user has a friend who consumes tobacco, make a pact, and quit together. Having a friend join you in a quest always serves as a very encouraging and supportive measure.

The user can use substitute for spit tobacco while tapering off the quitting process. This can be in the form of sugarless gum, raisins, dried fruit or apples. Distracting oneself from the habit is also a very helpful factor. Healthy activities to distract the user, such as reading, riding a bike, swimming, taking trips and exercising can make a huge difference to dealing with withdrawal symptoms.

Self- rewarding always helps. The tobacco user can set intermittent goals and once each goal is achieved, he may reward himself in any way that makes him feel proud of himself. He may gift himself with something he has had an eye on for some time with the money he saved by not wasting it on buying tobacco. The reward could even be in the form of a treat at his favorite diner. A money box would be a great way to save the tobacco money and once he has quit completely, that money box itself would be his reward!

Other supportive measures could be in the form of nicorette gum, nicotine inhalers and nicotine patches, to substitute for nicotine in a safer manner than cigarettes and smokeless tobacco.

For those having severe difficulty with quitting tobacco, support groups and tobacco cessation programs are advised. These help to treat the addiction problem from the core and prevent the addiction from recurring.

Important to know

Quitting for a regular tobacco user is no easy task. The user may feel that all efforts are in vain and nothing works. He should try to wait out cravings, take deep breaths, relax his mind or even call a loved one or friend for comfort. He could cut back from the highest to the lowest nicotine brands. He must always remember, “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try, try again”. Where there is a will, there is always a way.

Health and Tobacco

The effects of tobacco on health are many, primarily affecting the mouth, heart and the lungs. Smoking is the most common cause of diseases of the heart and lungs, giving rise to heart attacks and strokes, and leading to conditions such as emphysema, chronic bronchitis and lung cancer.

Nicotine

The fact that tobacco contains nicotine does not make matters any better. Nicotine is a psycho- stimulant which is contained in high amounts in tobacco. It is also highly addictive, so smokers from a young age find it increasingly difficult to quit, even if they want to.

Nicotine greatly decreases one’s ability to perform daily tasks efficiently, as it constricts the blood vessels. This reduces blood flow the areas where blood is needed the most when doing daily taskswith the muscles and the brain. As a result, smokers have very low tolerance for strenuous tasks, and feel out of breathe and tired really quickly.

Chewing Tobacco

Tobacco used in the smokeless form such as chewing tobacco, moist snuff and dipping tobacco are even worse. Smokeless tobacco contains more nicotine than cigarettes and has many oral disease manifestations, including oral cancer. The extent is such that 28 different carcinogens have been identified in smokeless, chewing and snuff tobacco, increasing the risk of developing oral cancer up to 6 times more than those who don’t chew tobacco and twice as much as those who smoke.

Chewing tobacco has major oral manifestations. It is known to cause gum recession, leading to exposure of the teeth’s roots causing over-sensitive teeth. The sugar added to the smokeless tobacco during its curing process adds to its tooth decaying properties, as the constant presence of sugar allows it to be used up by the natural bacteria in the mouth, making the oral environment acidic and leading to extensive tooth decay.

Smokeless tobacco causes persistent and recurrent sores and ulcers in the mouth. This chewing tobacco can lead to pre-malignant conditions such as Oral Submucous Fibrosis (OSF) and pre-malignant lesions such as leukoplakia, both of which can progress into oral cancer.

The contents of chewing tobacco are very harmful to the oral tissues. They lead to erosion of the gums and the underlying bone supporting the teeth, resulting in bone loss, mobile teeth and eventually tooth loss. Chewing tobacco also reduces a person’s ability to smell and to taste. This in turn causes users to eat food higher in sugar and salt, which itself has its own risks- sugar promoting tooth decay and diabetes mellitus, and salt leading to hypertension and aggravating other heart problems. Chewing tobacco also increases heart rate and causes a raised blood pressure, which also leads to hypertension.

Apart from the dangerous side–effects of tobacco chewing, it also comes with other negative effects. The constant presence of tobacco in the mouth results in foul smelling breath, excess salivation and spitting, the unpleasant sight of tobacco-stained teeth and tobacco even stuck between the teeth.

Consequences

The ultimate consequence of constant tobacco chewing, moist snuff and cigarettes all have the potential and dire consequence of oral cancer. Cigarettes, in addition, also lead to lung cancer and even pancreatic cancer.

The rate at which cigarettes and smokeless tobacco is ever-increasing, causes many deaths per year all over the world. According to the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, using tobacco is “the single most important preventable risk to human health in developed countries and an important cause of premature death worldwide.”