An unpleasant bitter aftertaste in the mouth may appear even if there was no spicy food in the diet. Sometimes a person does not pay attention to this phenomenon, since changes accumulate gradually. But sometimes bitterness appears suddenly and logically causes alarm. Where does the bitterness in the mouth come from? The causes and treatment are most often administered by a gastroenterologist. It is to him that you need to go first and sign up for an examination.
Bitterness in the mouth: causes and treatment
To begin with, it should be understood that such a reaction of taste buds is not a disease, but a symptom of a disease. If there was no mustard and horseradish, spicy snacks in the food, and the taste buds continue to send a signal of bitterness to the taste analyzer, then this indicates a malfunction in the body.
Some try to make a diagnosis on their own, which is absolutely impossible to do - self-medication in this matter can cause irreparable harm. Why does bitterness appear in the mouth? The reasons and treatment will be correctly determined only by the doctor, so you should not postpone the visit to the specialist.
Before you go to the hospital, try to observe yourself to help your doctor collect a medical history. What time of day does this taste sensation appear - in the morning on an empty stomach or after eating? Have you noticed that bitterness appears after certain types of food? Are there any chronic diseases? If bitterness is accompanied by nausea and vomiting, headache, excessive sweating, dry mouth or, conversely, excessive salivation, this may be a sign of poisoning. The symptom is not harmless, and urgent need to take action.
Morning bitterness in the mouth
If a bitter taste in the mouth appears in the morning on an empty stomach and passes after breakfast, you need to first analyze the menu of yesterday's dinner. Perhaps this is due. However, with some pathologies of the stomach, this relationship is not found, and the patient daily feels bitterness in his mouth in the morning. Reasons, treatment - these two concepts are interconnected, a correctly diagnosed diagnosis will help to quickly get rid of the problem.
If this is not just bitterness, but also gives acidic, and a burning sensation is felt in the throat, then it is possible that there are problems with the secretion of gastric juice. This gastroesophageal reflux is a process in which the contents of the stomach rise into the esophagus. This condition is often called heartburn.
Bitterness in the mouth with heartburn
Heartburn itself is not a disease, but a symptom. A burning sensation somewhere behind the sternum, in the esophagus is due to the ingestion of gastric juice and enzymes into the esophagus, from where it is possible that some may enter the oral cavity. In this case, noticeable discomfort may be felt in the stomach, and this phenomenon can be observed both after eating and on an empty stomach - bitterness in the mouth, heartburn. Causes, treatment - all this is the responsibility of the gastroenterologist, as these sensations are symptoms of digestive problems.
For some reason, manifestations of heartburn are considered a frivolous reason to see a doctor, people begin to swallow soda, believing that it neutralizes the acidic environment in the stomach. Although there may indeed be relief after baking soda, doctors do not recommend this practice. It is better to purchase special medications for heartburn, usually tablets or lozenges that do not require drinking water. They dissolve in the oral cavity and neutralize excess acidity. After this, both heartburn and bitter sensations in the oral cavity can pass. However, one must be aware that suppressing the symptoms gives the disease the opportunity to develop further, and the problem can be much more serious than an unsuccessful dish the day before at dinner.
Liver disease
Does gastric juice only cause a bitter aftertaste? You have constant bitterness in your mouth, the causes and treatment are only in perspective, but can you feel heavy or tingling in the liver? Urgently to the gastroenterologist, because the symptoms indicate problems in the liver or gall bladder.
The bile produced by the liver to break down fats has a distinct bitter taste. It may be she who is responsible for the unpleasant aftertaste. The list of liver diseases is actually quite impressive. It can be anything from hepatitis to gallstones. A full examination will help determine the cause, and only after that adequate treatment is prescribed.
Doctors do not get tired of repeating: the symptoms will disappear only after eliminating the cause, which causes unpleasant sensations. Of course, only symptomatology can be treated, sometimes it is necessary, because it is the symptoms that cause discomfort. But until the main treatment is started, one should not hope for a relief of the condition, moreover, the diseases tend to progress if the fight is not started in time.
Gastrointestinal diseases
If everything is in order with the liver, and the gall bladder works like a clock, problems with the digestive organs are not ruled out. A bitter taste in the mouth can be caused by all kinds of gastrointestinal diseases: gastritis, enteritis, pancreatitis. It can also be an ordinary imbalance, which sometimes happens in the intestinal flora and can be treated quite quickly and simply.
With a variety of gastritis, a stomach ulcer or duodenal ulcer, bitterness in the mouth is accompanied by unpleasant sensations after eating. This is heaviness in the stomach, belching, bloating, heartburn, pain is possible. Many patients with gastritis also have a white coating on the tongue, bitterness in the mouth. The reasons and treatment, the drugs that should be taken, and further preventive measures should be determined by the gastroenterologist after a detailed examination.
Sometimes, with digestive problems, patients self-medicate, and they are encouraged by the advertising of medications, which are shamelessly shown on television. “Mezim is indispensable for the stomach” - everyone knows this advertising slogan by heart. Not wanting to waste time, a patient suffering from gastritis goes to a pharmacy and buys enzyme preparations, which are sold without a prescription, and begins completely uncontrolled self-medication. Mezim, Festal, Almagel and other medicines are preferably taken as directed by a doctor. Under the "harmless" gastritis, a much more dangerous disease can be masked, up to a serious oncological disease.
Dental problems
If a feeling of bitterness in the mouth appeared after a visit to the dentist or, on the contrary, with an urgent and urgent need to deal with the condition of the gums and teeth, the cause may be either a disease (stomatitis, pulpitis, periodontal disease), or a reaction to the preparations and materials used by the dentist.
A temporary filling, which is established during the phased treatment of serious caries, can provoke a phenomenon such as burning and bitterness in the mouth. Reasons, treatment - everything is simple here. As soon as the dentist removes the temporary filling and puts a permanent one, the symptoms will stop. However, it is necessary to inform the doctor about your feelings. You may be allergic to zinc and other components of dental materials.
One of the signs of diabetes
Sometimes a person simultaneously has thirst, frequent urination, dryness and bitterness in his mouth. Reasons, treatment - you should definitely go to the doctor for this, because such a combination of symptoms can indicate the initial stage of diabetes.
Contrary to a common misconception, diabetes is not only sugar, this disease has several forms, stages of development, so the symptoms may vary. Self-treatment here will definitely only cause harm, you need to go to the doctor.
Pregnant bitterness in the mouth
Toxicosis of pregnant women is often accompanied by very unpleasant sensations - nausea, a distortion of taste sensations. Bitterness in the mouth, nausea may appear. The reasons and treatment are simple here - since these symptoms are due to hormonal changes in the body, you need to adjust the diet and be patient. As a rule, if there are no diseases listed above, this is a temporary phenomenon, it will stop in the next couple of months, in the worst case, after childbirth.
Bitterness in the mouth of children
Sometimes young children complain of a bitter taste in their mouths. Parents should be wary - in some cases this is a sign of helminthiasis, and in children it is more common than in adults. A pediatrician will conduct an examination, it will be necessary to pass tests, including for helminthiasis and giardia. If parasites are detected, treatment will need to go to the whole family.
Bitterness after antibiotic treatment
If, after using antibiotics, a bitter sensation suddenly appears on the tongue, it is not necessarily a liver disease or gastrointestinal tract. Antibiotics are not selective, they destroy all microorganisms, including beneficial ones, disrupt the intestinal microflora, the liver begins to work in an emergency mode to clear the blood of foreign substances, as a result, bitterness appears in the mouth. The reasons and treatment are completely transparent - you need to follow the recommendations of your doctor, and it is advisable to wait for the restoration of natural microflora.
The special gentle diet, fermented milk products, and the absence of fatty, spicy and salty foods in the diet will help speed up the process. It is necessary to wait a bit with marinades and savory snacks, you can take bifidobacteria drugs, they will restore the microflora.
How to treat bitterness in the mouth: causes, treatment with folk remedies
By and large, we are talking only about symptomatic treatment, because the disease itself, due to which there is a bitter taste in the mouth, cannot be eliminated with these means.
Infusions and decoctions of medicinal herbs greatly facilitate the situation, if dental problems occur, this will help to eliminate them.
A decoction of medicinal chamomile, thyme and peppermint will not only remove the bitterness, but also have a beneficial effect on the throat and gums, and freshen your breath. A decoction of a mixture of lemon balm and peppermint has a similar effect.
To rinse, you need to brew two full tablespoons of dry grass with boiling water (two glasses), cover the vessel with a lid and insist for half an hour. It is advisable to use the resulting infusion during the day.
Inside, it is better to take flaxseed jelly. A tablespoon of ground seeds is poured with a glass of boiling water, infused and filtered. Half should be drunk in the morning, the other half in the evening. This drink alleviates suffering at the initial stage of gastritis, reduces heartburn, and gently envelops the walls of the esophagus.
You can chew one clove. This spice has long been used to freshen breath, but you need to be careful with it. Cloves contain essential oils that can cause an allergic reaction.
With bitterness in the mouth, it is recommended to drink more clean water, refuse coffee and strong black tea, fatty and fried foods in favor of boiled and stewed. This will help calm the irritated gastrointestinal tract, reduce the load on the liver and stomach, then the symptoms of gastroenterological diseases will decrease, and the bitterness will disappear.