Hi, I hope someone can answer this. I have been having a sour taste in my mouth on and off for a few weeks. I notice, maybe from clenching, that the mucous membrane on the inside of my cheek is not smooth. It seems like the taste is coming from there. The dentist couldn't see any disease and doesn't have an answer. Yesterday my mouth tasted salty, really horrible, I couldn't eat anything without it tasting disgusting. Today it's back to sour. Chewing Orbit makes it worse because when the gum loses its taste, it turns sour and then I feel worse. Any idea what can cause this? Can an abrasion on the cheek make my mouth taste nasty?

Hi Sandy,

If it is dental related it could be an infected tooth or a deep gum pocket that is not causing you any other noticeable symptoms. When the bacteria from a root canaled tooth releases itself into the bone, it is common for the person to have a sour or salty taste. Deep gum pockets hold debris from food which grows bacteria and they too can cause a similar taste.

A blocked or inflamed salivary duct, a sinus infection or chronic sinus congestion, a tonsil crevice embedded with food, indigestion, GERD ...all of which can cause that sour or salty taste.

How have you been feeling other than this taste thing? Any symptoms of anything I have mentioned?

Bryanna

It turned to salty in the past week. I do have GERD but take a pill every morning and it never bothers me. As far as post-nasal drip, no. I feel like the tip of my tongue tastes salty, as if I am drinking sea water. When I drink water, it tastes salty. Even if I rinse my mouth for 5 minutes, it remains. I had my teeth cleaned 2 days ago. The dentist has no idea...been to an oral surgeon, again, no idea. I chew sugarless mint gum and it starts tasting like salt. Going crazy, next step will be doctor. I googled salty taste and found a ton of posts but nobody came back with solutions. Does pus taste salty or bitter, or neither?

Hi Sandy,

Yes, pus can taste salty, sour.... people have different descriptions of it. Do you think you may have an infected tooth?

Bryanna

hello both Sandy & Bryanna.

I'm new to the forum but came here because I too am dealing with the issue you described Sandy.

Mine's basically your story... only on steroids....

I have a tooth that had been cracked and open for about a year. I take VERY good care of my teeth, but due to no dental insurance (cause my work cut it) and a large amount of Antibiotics as a child my teeth have very week/non existent enamel, I had to let it be and use temp filling from over the counter.

According to my doctor my "Mouth is an 8" on a scale of 1-10 ten being the best. but This one tooth is caused me more issues in the past 2 weeks than I've ever had Health problems in my life (minus the Ear infections that started all this with the antibiotics as a child.)

SIDE NOTE: Minus a few pains or head aches, the tooth never really caused my problems. Then suddenly, i had a bad taste in my mouth....

The tooth started to hurt to the point that i felt it was going to push it self right out of the Gum and on to my nose to poke me in the eyes (IE it felt angry at me). So i had a dentist clear the cavity, fill it and then recommend me to a Oral surgeon for a Root Canal. The next week (after the doc putting a topical cleanser and some filling that had a medication in it) I saw the oral surgeon and had the first half of what turned out to be a 2 part procedure due to an infected gum under the tooth. This infection was causing more pain, and side effects than 5 shots of tequila.

Blurred Vision
Dizziness
Nausea
Pain up the jaw line to the eye and up to the head
Sinuses draining
AND A SOUR/SALTY/LICKING THE GROUND Taste in my mouth and Smell in my sinuses.

Called both docs, they said the same thing, its the infection causing "Symbiotic Symptoms" or something like that. IE the infection was now "Infecting" other parts of my face due to its location near the Sinus Cavity.

I have the second half of my Rootcanal tomorrow morning and hopefully that will be the beginning of the end for this Menacing tooth.

I guess the reason i'm sharing this was to say 2 things, 1) Sandy Ur not alone, and 2) It could be something that isn't on the "Surface" thus can't just be looked at and said "oh, yup, thats the problem." My dentist didn't even know there was an infection till AFTER he opened the tooth. he kept saying "Fingers crossed there's no infection" as he drilled away... Should of crossed my toes too.

HOPE: When i was on an antibiotic for EVERYTHING (Which i was till i ran out) things got better, and now that i'm seeing the docs tomorrow, they should get even better.

Good luck to you Sandy, Try things that would normally taste Gross or sour/salty to you (in a bad way), I've only been able to eat things I normally wouldn't touch lol. Worth a shot. OH AND HALLS VAPOR COUGH DROPS, that hid the flavor for a bit.

And Bryanna, After reading like 10 of ur posts on other threads, ANY advice is appreciated on post Root Canal do's and don'ts.


hope I helped or at least made someone laugh at my expense

Hi fifteenmins...

If you have read my posts, you will see that I am not an advocate for root canal therapy because due to the anatomy of a tooth..... with all of it's microscopic canals...it cannot be disinfected or sterilized. Therefore, an infected tooth remains infected irrelevant of what is done to it.

I know that is not what you wanted to hear... I'm sorry
It is a shame that dentists do not inform their patients about this prior to performing the root canal. I feel every patient has the right to be well informed so they can make a decision on what treatment is in their own best interest. It's kind of hard to do that when you aren't given the information or the treatment options.

There is nothing I can tell you that you should or shouldn't do post root canal therapy. I can tell you without any doubt that the tooth is still infected irrelevant of what was done to it and any discomfort or swelling or bad taste indicates that the infection may have spread from the tooth into the bone. Sometimes these symptoms go unnoticed for quite awhile... so just be aware of how the tooth and that area looks and feels.

I am very sorry to tell you this stuff.. I know it's so not what you wanted to hear. Aside from this... how are you feeling today?

Bryanna

I also started having sour taste in my mouth and it is not going away. I have been having it for the past 10 months now. I have seen different doctors and no one has been able to diagnose the problem. If some one can please help me. It is very irritating.

Hi Nane,

Have you had a dental checkup? Do you have periodontal disease.... any decayed or root canaled teeth.... old crowns or bridgework?

Some other things that can cause a chronic sour taste are... digestive problems like heartburn or GERD.... intestinal disease like IBS, crohn's, diverticulosis.... even some medications can disrupt the digestive enzymes, acids and cause a sour taste.

Bryanna

sorry i havent read anyof this but personal experiance it sounds like an absest tooth

Have you tried organic, aluminum free baking soda? You can dilute it in water, but I pour some baking soda directly on my tongue. After a few minutes, I will scrape my tongue with a stainless steel tongue scraper. Some people believe that ingesting the baking soda-diluted in water-is very effective. Apparently, the baking soda is alkaline and helps with digestion; some believe it treats cancer...not sure which type. Also, there is some believe (again, anecdotal) that food grade hydrogen peroxide is very effective with many health conditions, including oral health conditions. It is very important to research food grade hydrogen peroxide and decipher if/which brand is best for you.