Causes of bitterness in the mouth after eating
The unpleasant taste usually disappears when the cause that caused it is eliminated. Diet errors (fatty, deep-fried foods), smoking, bad teeth, poor oral hygiene, and taking certain medications are potential causes of bad taste. However, dryness and bitterness in the mouth are also symptoms of gastrointestinal diseases. Biliary dyskinesia, chronic cholecystitis, cholelithiasis cause discomfort in the oral cavity. Also, the cause of a bitter taste can be diseases of the duodenum, chronic gastritis, enteritis, and colitis.
How to remove severe bitterness in the mouth and nausea? It is necessary to treat the underlying disease, the manifestations of which are these symptoms. But even after cholecystectomy, unpleasant symptoms may persist. Bitterness in the mouth after gallbladder removal is often associated with the so-called postcholecystectomy syndrome. If, despite following a diet, a bitter taste in the mouth persists for a long time after surgery, you should consult a doctor to identify the cause and prescribe appropriate therapy. The cause of bitterness in the mouth after eating can be simple overeating. In case of a large feast, you can take a tablet of an enzyme preparation (panzinorm, festal, mezim forte) during meals. But it is still advisable to adhere to the rules of a healthy diet: eat small portions 5-6 times a day, eliminate or limit the consumption of fatty and fried foods, drink more water. Then the question “how to treat bitterness in the mouth while eating” will not arise, and “bells” from the liver in the form of an unpleasant taste will not come.
Causes related to food intake
The causes of bitterness in the throat are not limited to the above-mentioned factors. A similar sensation is possible only after eating. It is caused by the intake of overly spicy, salty, fatty, fried foods.
Such products cause spasm of the bile ducts, inflammation of the liver and gallbladder. Hence the bitterness, pain, and discomfort in the stomach.
It is also possible that the stomach is involved in the process. It needs to be dealt with separately, under the supervision of a competent specialist. Bitterness in the throat after eating can be removed only by adjusting your own diet.
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What to do if you have a bitter taste in your mouth and a white coating on your tongue
Some medications cause a bitter taste. These include lithium preparations, antidepressants, antibiotics, allopurinol, vitamin and mineral complexes. Bitterness in the mouth can be combined with nausea, dryness, and a white coating on the tongue. Usually, special treatment for bitterness in the mouth after taking antibiotics or other medications is not required. The unpleasant taste disappears upon completion of the course of treatment and no longer bothers you.
What should you do if you have a bitter taste in your mouth and a white coating on your tongue that persists for a long time after taking medications? Contact your doctor. It may be necessary to prescribe hepatoprotectors - drugs that restore liver function. The treatment regimen for some diseases initially includes medications that “protect” the liver. This approach is practiced when prescribing chemotherapy drugs, especially with long courses and high dosages.
How to identify the cause of a metallic taste in the mouth
Only a doctor can identify the correct medical causes and figure out why a metallic taste appears in the mouth after conducting appropriate studies and tests, so you should not hesitate to visit medical specialists.
Measures to identify the cause of unpleasant sensation in the mouth:
- biochemical and clinical blood tests to determine the level of various substances in the body (for example, if hemoglobin is low, this may indicate the development of anemia, a high creatinine level indicates kidney disease);
- a detailed dental examination, during which the general condition of the teeth and gums is determined;
- hormone level test;
- X-ray (used both in case of suspected diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and in the dental field);
- MRI, gastroscopy and various other methods depending on the type of disease detected.
Other causes of bitterness in the mouth
Why there is a constant bitter taste in the mouth - possible reasons:
- smoking;
- inhalation of vapors of certain chemicals;
- dehydration;
- glossitis;
- dry mouth;
- allergy;
- salivary gland infections;
- lack of zinc and vitamin B12;
- nasal polyps;
- autoimmune diseases such as Sjögren's syndrome and Bell's palsy;
- mouth breathing;
- inflammatory diseases of the upper respiratory tract;
- injuries to the head, mouth, nose;
- braces;
- Radiation therapy to the neck or head.
Bitterness in the mouth in the early stages of pregnancy may be associated with changes in hormonal levels, attacks of nausea and vomiting (toxicosis). Read more about this symptom on our website.
Metal structures in the mouth
After installing braces and crowns, dentists warn patients about the possible appearance of a metallic taste - this is a normal phenomenon that should subside within a week after the procedure. If this period has passed, and discomfort still makes itself felt, the reasons may be as follows:
- allergy to metal. It is very rare, but taking an allergy test will not be superfluous. If the suspicion is confirmed, the only solution will be a complete replacement of all installed structures;
- galvanism (interaction between metals), which occurs in the case of installation of orthopedic structures made of different materials that interact with each other. If all the crowns and posts are made of the same material and the amalgam fillings are replaced, the problem will disappear.
If you have metal dentures or implants, an iron taste may become noticeable after consuming acidic foods and drinks. Accordingly, the presence of piercings on the tongue or lips can also cause a similar effect.
How to get rid of bitterness in your mouth
If the bitterness and unpleasant taste are not caused by pathologies of the gastrointestinal tract and other diseases, then you can “fight” them yourself:
- Maintain good oral hygiene. You need to brush your gums and tongue, not just your teeth. Add a small amount of baking soda to your toothbrush before applying toothpaste. Brushing your teeth and tongue should take at least two and a half minutes. Remember to brush your teeth twice a day. Use dental floss and a tongue scraper and rinse your mouth regularly;
- eat more citrus fruits, drink orange and lemon juices. The acid stimulates the production of saliva and eliminates the bitter taste in the mouth;
- Visit your dentist regularly for preventive examinations and dental plaque removal;
- stop smoking;
- drink enough water;
- limit your consumption of fatty and spicy foods. Eat slowly, chewing your food thoroughly.
If you follow all these rules, and the bitterness in your mouth persists, consult a doctor, as the cause of unpleasant symptoms may be endocrine diseases, mental disorders, and pathologies of the gastrointestinal tract.
Related services: Consultation with a pediatrician Consultation with a family doctor
Treatment
To get rid of the symptoms that bother you, you will first need to adjust your diet - avoid sour, spicy and too fatty foods, juices and sodas, prefer steamed and baked to fried. These are general recommendations. The doctor may also recommend a more restrictive diet depending on the identified disease.
Medications are prescribed by a doctor.
These can be hepatoprotectors, enzyme-containing drugs, antacids, etc. You should not prescribe medications on your own without consulting a doctor - you may be mistaken about the cause of the alarming symptoms and aggravate the situation. If you don’t have time to visit a doctor, call a therapist at home by phone: +7 (495) 730-21-31
Diagnostic methods
Only a doctor can determine the cause of the symptoms described above. To make an accurate diagnosis and develop a therapeutic regimen, the doctor may prescribe the following procedures:
- examination of the skin and tongue, palpation of the abdomen;
- blood test for liver tests - ALT, AST, bilirubin;
- FGDS is a diagnostic procedure during which an endoscopist evaluates the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract, identifies foci of inflammation, and takes tissue for histological examination;
- Ultrasound of the abdominal organs - liver, pancreas, gallbladder and spleen;
- blood test for hormones;
- coprogram and general clinical blood test.
Causes of bitter taste
A feeling of bitterness in the oral cavity can signal the presence of various diseases and inflammatory processes. Often, bitterness indicates problems in the digestive and excretory systems.
Cholecystitis, kidney stones, inflammatory processes in the gallbladder, infectious diseases of the genitourinary system - all these diseases can provoke a bitter taste in the mouth. You should not endure unpleasant symptoms or self-medicate. Timely diagnosed diseases and taken treatment measures are the key to healthy organs and the proper functioning of the body as a whole. Also causes of bitterness in the mouth are chronic gastritis, ulcers, pancreatitis, and poor diet.
Abuse of fatty, fried, spicy, sweet and starchy foods causes the pancreas to produce more secretions in order to digest heavy microelements. In addition to the pancreas, sweet and fatty foods cause a tremendous blow to the liver.
In order to break down complex glucose chains, the liver has to secrete twice as much of the hormone insulin, and as you know, increased levels of insulin in the blood can trigger diabetes.
Diagnostics
If an atypical taste is occasionally or constantly felt in the mouth, consultation with a gastroenterologist is required. The symptom is caused by various reasons, therefore, before laboratory and instrumental examination, you should carefully collect anamnesis and accompanying complaints. The greatest diagnostic value is:
- Blood tests
. A standard blood chemistry test reveals the accumulation of ammonia and ketone bodies, which often cause an unpleasant taste in the mouth. Clinical analysis can detect a decrease in hemoglobin, changes in the size and shape of red blood cells, which is characteristic of anemia. If necessary, toxicological analysis is carried out. - Hormonal profile
. If patients complain of a sweetish sensation in the mouth, fasting sugar levels are measured. The results of an oral glucose tolerance test are indicative. To clarify the form of diabetes, the concentration of insulin and C-peptide is taken into account. If glucose levels are normal, it is recommended to determine the level of thyroid hormones. - ENT examination
. During the study, the condition of the mouth, throat, and nasal passages is examined. Frequent findings are signs of chronic inflammation, purulent or whitish deposits on the mucous membrane. Bloody crusts are sometimes found in the nose. If carious teeth or bleeding gums are detected, a person is referred to a dentist. - Endoscopy
. The causes of unusual taste sensations, which are combined with abdominal pain and painful heartburn, are diagnosed using FGDS. During endoscopy, inflammatory and destructive processes in the gastric mucosa, insufficiency of the cardiac sphincter with the flow of acidic contents into the esophagus are visualized. - X-ray imaging
. To exclude ENT causes of a persistent unpleasant taste in the mouth, an x-ray of the paranasal sinuses is performed. Excretory urography is indicated for patients with swelling, lower back pain and other signs of kidney damage. To study the condition of the intestines, a barium passage x-ray is prescribed. - Additional methods
. In women, levels of sex hormones must be examined; in young patients, the level of human chorionic gonadotropin is additionally assessed to confirm or exclude pregnancy. If lung cancer is suspected, especially in men with a long history of smoking, bronchoscopy with collection of material for cytomorphological analysis is required.
If you have an unpleasant taste in your mouth, it is important to maintain oral hygiene
