While brushing and flossing go a long way to help bad breath and adverse tastes in the mouth, for some people, the bad taste lingers or even returns hours after brushing. Your mouth is a place that’s very affected by the rest of your body, so there are several things that could be causing that unpleasant taste in your mouth. What are some of them?
Medications
Certain medications can cause an unpleasant taste in the mouth. If you’re on several different ones, you may have to consult your doctor about which one it could be! Sometimes being on certain medications can cause everything you eat to have an odd or unpleasant taste, while other times, you sense of taste may be inhibited. Medications that can cause an adverse taste in the mouth include: Azelastine (nasal spray), Antabuse (to help with addiction), certain antibiotics, anti-inflammatory, and even chemotherapy drugs.
Tobacco or Alcohol Use
Tobacco products can cause an unpleasant taste in the mouth as well as drinking alcohol, especially if you do these two things regularly. The bad taste in your mouth won’t go away until the root cause is identified. If you use chewing tobacco or smoke, chances are that bad taste in your mouth could be caused by the chemicals in these products. Drinking alcohol could also lead to a chronic bad taste in your mouth. This is because overconsumption of alcohol can lead to production of excess bile by the liver, which can be absorbed into the bloodstream and make its way to your mouth to produce a foul taste. This can also happen when your liver is affected by poor diet and toxins as well.
Infection
An infection in your mouth could be the culprit behind that unpleasant taste. If you’re not brushing and flossing regularly, you’re leaving your mouth susceptible to oral infections that could alter your sense of taste. These infections could include gum disease, tooth decay, cavities, or even abscesses. While brushing and flossing regularly is vital for your oral health, you should also visit your dentist regularly to ensure you’re not experiencing infections such as gum disease or tooth decay. Dentists can often spot the signs of infection long before you experience any symptoms such as chronic bad taste!
Injury
If you’ve had a recent head injury, that bad taste in your mouth could be the result of some nerve damage. Usually people who have experienced a head injury and have bad taste find that it goes away as the body heals itself. Talk with your doctor if you’ve experienced a head injury to see if it could be the cause of that lingering bad taste.
Brushing and flossing may keep your chronic altered sense of taste at bay, but it won’t solve the problem. Talk with your doctor about which of your medications could be causing it, or you may have an infection or be experiencing the effects of using tobacco and alcohol regularly. Solve that bad taste in your mouth by discovering the root cause!
