Sour taste - probable causes, diagnostics, what to do

Unpleasant sour sensation smack in the mouth during or after eating food - this is the "first call" to visit a doctor and receive advice, as well as treatment of the problems that have arisen.

It is important to understand what causes these symptoms.

Causes of appearance and classification by disease

In most cases, a sour taste indicates non-compliance with the diet and abuse of spicy, smoked, salty, fried foods.

In other cases, it indicates gastrointestinal diseases, dental problems, or pregnancy.

The doctor identifies pathology by symptoms that may occur at different times of the day, accompanied by nausea or vomiting, dryness or sour taste with different shades - salty, bitter, sweet.

Pathology of the gastrointestinal tract

Symptoms of gastrointestinal diseases have different localization:

• gastritis
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  - inflammation of the gastric mucosa with increased acidity, often accompanied by a sour persistent taste, and in some cases with nausea or vomiting;
  peptic ulcer stomach and duodenum - ulcerative zones appear on the walls of the mucosa and submucosa, which cause heaviness in the stomach, unpleasant smell from the mouth, nausea, sour taste, heartburn, vomiting and pain in the stomach area;
• gastroduodenitis - This is an inflammation of the mucous membrane of the stomach and duodenum, taste in the mouth occurs most often in the morning;
• gastroesophageal reflux occurs with erosion and narrowing of the esophagus. Food travels back to the esophagus through the lower esophageal sphincter, causing gagging, heartburn, foul odor, nausea, and a bitter taste in the mouth. Most often, symptoms appear in the morning.

Dental problems

Diseases of the oral cavity, which are characterized by a sour taste:

• caries - the process of destruction of hard tooth tissues under the influence of microorganisms (viruses, bacteria). It is accompanied by an unpleasant odor and sour taste, painful sensations;
• stomatitis - inflammation of the oral mucosa due to the penetration of bacteria, looks like small ulcers (affected areas). Also stomatitis accompanies glossitis - inflammation of the tongue in the form of ulcers, can be triggered by mechanical, thermal or chemical burns. Symptoms of stomatitis and glossitis are painful sensations and a sour-metallic taste;
• periodontal disease, periodontitis, periodontitis - inflammatory diseases caused by the destructive effect of microorganisms on the periodontium (tissue around the tooth). They cause sensations in the form of a sour-metallic taste, bad breath, pallor, bleeding gums, tooth mobility;
• displacement or disruption of the integrity of the crown prosthesis can lead to candidiasis oral cavity. In this case, food falls under the denture or crown, the process of decay begins, and concomitant dental diseases occur. One of the first signs of candidiasis is an unpleasant sour taste and odor from the mouth;
• gingivitis develops as a result of untreated periodontal disease or periodontitis, its characteristic symptoms: plaque on teeth, unpleasant odor, redness and bleeding of the gums, sour taste, swelling, itching of the mucous membranes and gums;

• alveolitis - inflammatory process of the hole after tooth extraction. It is characterized by an unpleasant bitter-sour taste, pain at the site of the extracted tooth, and a smell. It can be caused by food debris entering the hole and the development of putrefactive bacteria in it;
• granulomatous periodontitis (cyst) - occurs due to untreated or neglected dental diseases. A cyst forms on the gums, characterized by severe pain, an unpleasant sweet and sour odor, pus discharge from under the tooth, swelling and redness of the gums.

Poor oral hygiene or lack of oral hygiene can also affect taste.

Pregnancy

During pregnancy, women often experience a sour taste in the mouth and heartburn - this is not a pathological process. It is caused by an increase in the body of the hormone progesterone, which helps to bear the baby without rejection of the fetus. The body of the expectant mother is rebuilt for bearing and giving birth to a child, as a result of which the muscles lose their tone, a weakening of the gastric sphincter occurs. This leads to the release of gastric juice outside the stomach and causes discomfort.

Other reasons

Not only the above diseases can cause sour taste. It can also be caused by:

• cholecystitis,
• cholelithiasis,
• pancreatitis,
• worms,
• diabetes,
• bronchitis,
• ENT diseases,
• anemia.

The patient's lifestyle also affects the well-being:

• smoking (cigarettes, mixtures),
• diet,
• long-term use of certain medications,
• alcohol abuse, coffee, strong tea.

Classification by taste

With a certain combination of taste and some symptoms, an experienced therapist can immediately determine which specialist to refer the patient to.

Metallic sour taste can occur after dental procedures: placement of a filling, prosthesis, implant, bridge, pin. This taste occurs with bleeding gums, alveolitis, gingivitis.

Metal can be felt on the tongue and with internal bleeding. The main thing is to contact your dentist and general practitioner in time, who will diagnose and prescribe effective treatment.

Sour-salty aftertaste manifests itself with stomatitis, colds or viral diseases. To treat the problems that have arisen, you should contact a therapist and dentist.

Sweet and sour taste is most typical for diseases of the liver, thyroid gland, urinary system, especially if the symptom occurs in the morning. In cases where such a taste is accompanied by periodic dryness, pancreatitis, cholecystitis, or diseases of the biliary tract should be suspected.

You can hear from a pregnant woman that she has sweetness in her mouth after eating any food - this is a normal sensation if the woman is completely healthy. Smokers develop these symptoms when they do not smoke for a long time. Along with certain symptoms, it is necessary to contact a general practitioner, who, after passing the tests, will refer you to an endocrinologist, hepatologist, nephrologist or urologist.

Sour with bitterness appears when eating plentifully fried, smoked food at night, drinking alcoholic beverages, and taking antibiotics for a long time. With other signs, a combination of such a taste indicates some diseases of the liver, gastrointestinal tract, ENT diseases. It is also one of the symptoms of the development of periodontal disease, caries. In this case, you should contact your dentist, therapist, hepatologist, otolaryngologist.

Acid with nausea in the morning is typical for pregnant women with toxicosis.

After a hearty dinner with fatty foods or in case of gastrointestinal diseases, you should consult a hepatologist, therapist, gastroenterologist.

After eating, there is a sensation of sour taste in diseases of the oral cavity, cheilit, glossite.

Sour taste accompanied by dryness speaks of diseases associated with dehydration, diabetes mellitus, anemia. In some cases, it may be a manifestation of stomatitis.

Sour milk tastes like bowel problems.

If, after a night's sleep, a sour taste with a soreness appears, you should contact your dentist - perhaps a disease occurs in the oral cavity caused by harmful microbes.

Treatment

A visit to the doctor is a must in eliminating extraneous sensations in the mouth and other symptoms. After the diagnosis of the disease, it is important to adhere to a regular diet. And for the local elimination of an unpleasant aftertaste, use folk methods.

Diet

To remove the sour taste in your mouth and avoid it in the future, you should adhere to several rules:

• do not overeat;
• eat food 2-3 hours before bedtime;
• do not abuse smoking, alcoholic beverages;
• refuse uncontrolled medication;
• eat boiled, stewed, steamed food;
• reduce the consumption of fatty, sweet, fried, smoked, salty, spicy foods;
• reduce the consumption of carbonated drinks;
• eat more fresh vegetables and fruits;
• correctly conduct hygiene procedures oral cavity;
• reduce the use of coffee, strong tea.

Traditional methods of treatment

Traditional methods are not a panacea, but only help to temporarily reduce symptoms.

1. Baking soda will help eliminate bad breath and sour taste: 1 tsp in a faceted glass of warm water. soda.
2. A decoction of chamomile and sage will relieve inflammation and bleeding gums. Drinking it as a drink will reduce inflammation in the stomach. To do this, take 1 tsp. herbs, pour boiling water and leave for 15-20 minutes.
3. A decoction of mint, St. John's wort and coltsfoot stabilizes the acid-base balance. They are used in a mixture or separately: a decoction is prepared from 3 tsp. herbs in 400 ml of hot water, wrap with a towel for 20 minutes. Drink the finished broth or rinse the mouth.
4. Oak bark in the form of a decoction for rinsing will reduce bleeding of the gums and strengthen them: For 200 ml of water 1 tbsp. oak bark, boil for 6-7 minutes and leave for 10-15 minutes.
5. Dill, fennel and parsley are used fresh and in decoctions. They help to improve the functioning of the digestive system and eliminate the unpleasant tinge of sour in the mouth. You can take a sprig of one of these plants and chew, add to the salad. Rinse decoction recipe: Finely chop fresh parsley, fennel or dill. For 450 ml of water, you will need 3 tbsp. spoons of spicy plants in the form of a mixture or whatever is on hand are poured with boiling water and insisted for 25-30 minutes.

To solve the problem with an unpleasant aftertaste is possible only with an integrated approach. Timely access to a doctor with diagnosis and treatment, proper diet, sleep and rest, and also preventive treatment in the form of herbal medicine will help to get rid of this unpleasant symptom.