How to get rid of bitter taste in mouth

Many people want to know how to get rid of bitter taste in mouth. It’s because bitter taste in one’s mouth and throat is very annoying. We fail to enjoy the taste of delicious food that we are fond of. There are many different causes of a bitter taste in the mouth ranging from mouth problems, fever to many different drugs that we use. Let us explore the causes of the bitter taste in mouth and the ways in which we can get rid of them.

Causes of bitter taste in the mouth:

Pregnancy:

Pregnancy is a very precious time for each and every woman. But, many women suffer from bitter taste in their mouth during pregnancy due to various hormonal changes. During this time, nausea and dry mouth can also accompany the bitter taste in the mouth.

Respiratory infections:

Whenever we suffer from any form of respiratory infection, our sense of taste in impaired and we feel that out mouth and throat are very bitter. Respiratory infections of sinuses like sinusitis can affect the taste sensation. Common cold or flu can also make your mouth feel very bitter. Also, some drugs used to treat common cold like cough lozenges also cause a bitter or bad taste in the mouth.

Drugs:

We take many different types of drugs to treat various conditions. Some of them cause bitterness in the mouth as a side effect. Some such drugs are antibiotics like tetracycline, antidepressant drugs, antipsychotic drugs or drugs used to treat psychiatric disorders like bipolar disorders, for example, lithium.

Some drugs which control the uric acid levels in the body in person suffering from gout like allopurinol also cause a bitter taste in the mouth. These drugs cause bitterness or bad taste in the mouth by various mechanisms.

They make the mouth extremely dry and they alter the functioning or the sensation of the taste buds, thereby making us feel bitter.

In addition to these drugs, certain multivitamin tablets, calcium and iron supplements also make you suffer from bitter taste in the mouth.

Chemotherapy:

Cancer is a very lethal condition. It needs to be treated very aggressively with many modalities of treatment like radiotherapy and chemotherapy. These therapies can result in a bitter sensation of the mouth.

Oral problems:

Many people suffer from oral or dental problems like dental caries or tooth decay, gingivitis or inflammation of the gums, periodontitis, etc. These conditions are caused due to many reasons like having crowded teeth which make brushing teeth difficult, and also maintaining poor hygiene of the mouth.

In people who don’t brush, floss properly, eat many sugary items or foods, people those have crowded teeth, these problems occur very frequently. These dental and oral problems in return cause a bitter taste in the mouth and throat.

GERD:

GERD means gastroesophageal reflux disease. In this disease, the tone or the contractility of the lower esophageal sphincter is impaired. As a result of this, the acidic contents of the stomach move backward into the esophagus and into the mouth. This is called regurgitation. The regurgitation of the acidic stomach contents into the mouth makes us develop a sense of bitterness in the mouth.

Sjogren’s syndrome:

Sjogren syndrome is a condition in which the salivary glands don’t function properly due to the production of autoantibodies. It is an autoimmune disease. As a result of this, the people suffering from Sjogren’s have a dry mouth. Dryness of mouth, in turn, leads to bitter taste in the mouth.

How to get rid of bitter taste in mouth:

Maintain good oral hygiene:

Poor oral hygiene is the most common cause of bad taste on the mouth. Bad oral care leads to the growth of harmful bacteria that lead to many different gum and teeth infections. This, in turn, leads to bitterness in the mouth.

We need to brush our teeth twice every day to get rid of bitterness in the mouth. We need to clean our gum also gently in addition to brushing our teeth. We need to massage our gums attached to our teeth to strengthen teeth.

We need to floss our teeth daily at bedtime to remove any food that is accumulated between the teeth. This helps in preventing bacterial growth and bad taste in the mouth.

Brush with baking soda:

Use need to add a pinch of baking soda to over the toothbrush and then add toothpaste over it. Brush thoroughly with this toothpaste baking soda mixture to remove all the accumulated plaque, food remnants and bacteria from the teeth and gums.

You can sue baking soda to brush your teeth every day. There are no side effects of this method. You only benefit from getting rid of the unwanted taste in the mouth.

Eat citrus fruits:

Citrus fruits are really good for our health. They contain vitamin C which helps to boost the immunity and fight any harmful bacteria that causes dental caries, plaques and leads to bad taste in the mouth. In addition to this, they also promote the production of saliva in the mouth which helps in warding off harmful bacteria. Do you remember that dry mouth causes a bitter taste in the mouth? We spoke about it before.

Food habits to control GERD:

GERD is one of the causes of the bitter taste in the mouth. So, we need to moderate our food intake to control the symptoms of GERD. We need to eat small frequent meals. Avoid eating large meals at once which can aggravate GERD.

We also need to avoid eating spicy, oily and fatty foods that aggravate GERD. Drink lots of thin buttermilk or yogurt. This also protects you from bad taste in your mouth.

Water intake:

Water intake needs to be maintained at an optimal level. We need to drink as much water as our body demands. Water removes unwanted toxins from the body. It also hydrates our mouth and prevents decay of tooth that leads to bad taste in the mouth.

Cloves:

Cloves are really very effective in controlling bitter taste in the mouth. Just take 1 or 2 cloves and place them at the side of your cheek and keep swallowing the water or the saliva that is produced.

This helps in maintaining adequate hydration of your mouth to prevent the growth of bacteria. Cloves also contain substances that kill the bacteria and protect your teeth and gums. In addition to cloves, you can also use cinnamon powder to control bitterness in your mouth.

You can powder cinnamon sticks, take a small amount of cinnamon powder and place it in your mouth and keep swallowing the saliva slowly.

Mint leaves:

You can also make use of mint leaves to control bad taste in your mouth. They are used as part of many chewing gums and mouth fresheners to control bad breath and taste. Just take a few mint leaves about 3 to 4 of them and bite them slowly. Keep them at the side of your mouth for some time.

They help in saliva production. Just keep swallowing the juices of mint leaves and your saliva slowly. You will feel really refreshing and you feel like you have good taste in your mouth.

Use tongue cleaner:

Do you use tongue after you brush your teeth daily? You need to use a tongue cleaner to remove the white substances that accumulate over your tongue. Make this a part of your teeth care regimen or brushing daily.

These white substances accumulating as a layer over the tongue are also responsible for causing a bad taste in the mouth. So, get rid of them gently with your tongue cleaner to alleviate bitterness in your mouth.

Avoid alcohol and tobacco products:

Drinking alcohol and using tobacco products like chewing tobacco or smoking is also one of the most common reasons for bad taste in the mouth. Avoid drinking alcohol frequently. You also need to stop using tobacco products if you don’t want to get a bitter taste.

Eat healthy food:

Eat healthy food full of nuts, fruits, green leafy vegetables. Unhealthy diet leads to low levels of immunity. You can’t fight the bad taste causing bacteria in the mouth if your immunity levels are low.

Make eating healthy foods as part of each and every meal. You need to cut out eating junk foods, oily and spicy foods. They make your mouth develop unwanted and metallic tastes.

Salt water gargling:

Salt has antibacterial properties. Just add some salt to a glass of warm water and gargle;e with it. You might not believe it. But it definitely makes your mouth get rid of the bad taste and feel much better. You can do salt water gargling as many times as you want.

You have seen all the possible ways to get rid of the bitter taste in the mouth. What is your opinion about it? Do share your views with us. If your problem of bad taste is not solved with these remedies, make sure to consult your dentist.