For the past several years, I have been having the sides of my mouth crack and bleed on and off...I thought it was normal dry lips and put Carmax on it and all but it never really completely went away and I now have scars on the sides of my mouth from it. But I went to the dental hygenist (sp?) yesterday to have my teeth cleaned and she commented on it and said that it's a fungus and to use athletes foot cream (?!) on it to clear it up. O.O is this true? Kinda gross to think about putting athletes foot cream near my mouth. LOL is it really safe? I'm going to ask my dentist in two weeks when I see him for my extraction. (having a baby tooth removed.) and I think I'll ask my primary physican as well before I do it...but have you guys ever heard of it?
a fungus around my mouth?!
- Thread starter Katrina L
- Start date
It sounds like you have a fungus infection caused by the yeast Candida called Angular Cheilitis. It's related to the fungus infection that causes Athletes' Feet. The treatment that your dental hygenist suggested is correct. Just keep it on the outside part of your mouth. You can also talk to your doctor or dentist and they might prefer to prescribe something for you to use near your mouth. Take care.
Plus the fact that buying athletes foot cream would be a bit embarrassing. LOLI had the exact same thing. I asked the pharmacist about it and she said it was a fungal infection and to use Clotrimazole, an atifungal cream used for athlete's foot. I bought some and used it only twice. It hurt and I began to feel right away it wasn't going to work. I asked my family doctor about it. She said it was caused by stress (I was going through a lot at that time). She said we would try Triamcinolone Acetonide. It is a dental paste actually made to use on lesions inside the mouth. It feels grainy and that is annoying, but it worked for me. It takes patience, it took a long time, probably about 3 months using it twice a day. I hope if you try it, it will work for you! 