Sour mouth can happen anytime and in everyday situations with various causes. This condition can be felt after coughing, after eating, or after eatingeven for other reasons. If not triggered seriously, sour mouth only occurs temporarily and can go away on its own.
Humans can identify flavors from the small molecules released when they drink, chew, and process food. This molecule stimulates the sensory nerves in the mouth which will then send a signal to the brain that will identify one of the tastes of sweet, bitter, sour, salty, and umami (savory).
Disturbances in the body can cause interference with this mechanism. The taste buds pass through the nasal cavity. If there are disturbances in the nasal cavity and head, the sensitivity of the body to detect taste will also be disturbed. According to a general practitioner, a sour taste in the mouth can be one of the symptoms that accompany a serious illness. Below are some possible causes of sour mouth that are worth recognizing.
- Consumption of certain drugs. Both over-the-counter and prescription medications can affect the taste in your mouth. Antibiotics like tetracycline, lithium to treat psychiatric disorders, antidepressants, or allopurinol, are absorbed by the body and excreted through the saliva. Over-the-counter medications such as fever medications, multivitamins containing zinc, copper or chromium, as well as pregnancy vitamins containing calcium and iron can also cause the same thing. Pay attention to the dose of consumption to reduce the risk of sour mouth taste.
- Consumption of acidic foods or certain products such as cigarettes.
- Poor oral hygiene and health. Failure to brush your teeth regularly can put your teeth and gums at a higher risk of developing gingivitis, tooth infection, or periodontitis, which can make your mouth taste sour. This condition will subside on its own once the infection is treated.
- Upper respiratory infections, sinusitis, or the flu can also make your mouth taste sour due to difficulty recognizing the taste of food.
- Cancer treatments that involve radiation and chemotherapy can also leave patients with a sour taste in the mouth.
- Pregnancy can bring certain physical changes to pregnant women, one of which is a sour taste in the mouth.
- People with dementia often experience impaired sense of taste because the sensations felt on the tongue are not properly connected to the brain via nerves. Nerve disorders in the brain can make this organ misinterpret stimuli so that it makes the mouth taste sour.
- Exposure to inhaled chemicals such as lead or mercury can increase the risk of a sour taste in the mouth.
- stomach acid diseasegastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) or heartburn is a continuous pain behind the breastbone. This pain is usually felt after a person gets up from a lying position, bends forward, or after eating. However, people with GERD don't always feel pain. In addition to the pain, a sour taste in the mouth is another symptom that can accompany GERD. This condition is generally triggered by stomach acid rising into the esophagus.
- Oral diseases such as dry mouth can also make the mouth lack of saliva which increases the risk of a sour taste in the mouth.
- Dysgeusia is an impaired ability to identify taste due to infections such as colds or sinusitis, inflammation, environmental factors, or injury. Another disorder, hypogeusia is a reduced ability to perceive the five different tastes. While ageusia is the inability to detect taste.
- Middle ear infection. Infection in the middle ear is often followed by inflammation of the nose and sinus cavities if not treated properly. This can trigger uncomfortable sensations such as a sour taste in the taste buds.
- Nerve disorders. Taste sensation signals are processed in the brain, the sensation of a sour taste in the mouth for no apparent reason or often appearing suddenly can be a sign of an abnormality in the brain.
Taste perception is a subjective sensation for some people. However, the inability to detect certain tastes or there is an uncomfortable sensation in the sense of taste is a condition that needs to be consulted by a doctor. If not treated immediately, disturbances in the sense of taste can lead to reduced quality of life. But apart from that, there are simple ways you can do to get rid of it temporarily, such as gargling with mouthwash and always keeping your teeth and mouth clean. The best way to deal with this condition is to treat the cause of the sour mouth by seeing a doctor.
