Yeast Infections, Yes, Men. You Can Get Them, Too

When you think of yeast infections, you usually think “down there” on women, right? Actually yeast love a warm, moist environment where good bacteria lack– which is the entire digestion track from the mouth through the anus in addition to “down there.” The medical name for yeast infections is Candida albicans which essentially means “white fungus.”

Most times it presents itself as a white patch covering the palate or cheeks but when present for a long time it can become quite red. Most of my patients have no idea they have a yeast infection until it either gets very advanced, puffy, red and sore or travels down the esophagus and throat which makes for a rather scratchy throat, which also means it most probably covers the entire digestive canal. If there are symptoms present, usually the complaint is a dry mouth or sores on the corners of the lips or the denture does not fit well any more. Dentures are a leading cause of local yeast infections when they are not removed from the mouth nightly to “let the gums breathe” as I tell my patients. Also not cleaning a denture or partial well allows bacteria to linger in the plastic and be reintroduced to your mouth when replaced.

Treatment of yeast infections is rather simple, two to four weeks of nystatin rinses (the same thing in the troche for vaginal infections- and yes, it can be dissolved in the mouth also). I also ask my patients to eat good Greek yogurt, and swish it around the mouth before swallowing to get the “probiotics” working-(fancy name for live bacteria). However many people are not cured within this time frame for several reasons-the first of which is lack of properly caring for yourself. Truth be told, most people who have dentures lost their teeth due to improper hygiene. Very, very few people have dentures from an accident smashing all the teeth out. Not properly abiding by doctor’s orders to care for the denture, or to complete the full phase of the medication causes recurrent infections.

Another cause for recurrent yeast infections I will explore on my next post- diabetes. Take care of yourself. Get and stay healthy.