Salty Taste In Mouth: Causes, Picture, Symptoms and Treatment

Have you experienced salty taste in mouth without eating anything salty? You may wonder what is happening in your body. The abnormal taste in the mouth can make you feel uncomfortable. Though the sensation is strange, it is quite common. The salty taste is not a life-threatening condition. So, you need not worry too much about it. But, the taste can cause uneasiness in you. Therefore, read ahead to know the issue in detail. If the condition persists, see a doctor immediately. It will help you avoid further complications. Watch for other symptoms that point towards underlying diseases.

Common Causes Of Salty Taste In Mouth

As mentioned before, the salty taste in mouth is a very common condition. You can experience it due to various conditions. The most common causes for the problem are:

Dry Mouth

Dry mouth is one of the most common causes of salty in the mouth. Along with the taste, you also feel like having cotton balls stuffed in our mouth. The condition is medically termed as xerostomia. The reason for dry mouth ranges from using tobacco, medication side effects to aging.

Symptoms Of Salty Taste In Mouth Due To Dry Mouth

Apart from the salty in the mouth, you can also experience other symptoms. Therefore, the dry mouth has other signs like:

• Bad breath
• A sore throat
• Sticky feeling in your mouth
• Stringy or thick saliva
• Grooved tongue
• Hoarseness

Another Cause Of Salty Taste In Mouth: Dehydration

The lack of electrolytes in the body can lead to dehydration. It happens when you lose the water content from your body. Severe vomiting, diarrhea, extreme heat or vigorous exercise can result in the dehydration.

Symptoms Of Dehydration Causing Salty Taste In Mouth

Dehydration can cause several issues in your body. So, it can also induce several signs like:

• Dark Colored Urine
• Extreme Thirst
• Less Frequent Urination
• Confusion
• Fatigue
• Dizziness

Oral Bleeding

Oral hygiene is an important factor in the occurrence of the abnormal taste in your mouth. One such problem is the oral bleeding. The metallic or salty taste is the indicator of the oral problem. The following reasons lead to the problem:

• Eating foods with sharp edges (like chips)
• Brushing gums aggressively using a toothbrush

Gingivitis

The regular bleeding of gums with the salty taste in mouth is the indication of the gum disease known as gingivitis. The common gum condition can lead to swollen or sore gum over the time. You may also experience tenderness in the gums. Another sign of gum problem is the unexplained bleeding. Therefore, you need to see a dentist to overcome the problem. Ignoring it can lead to infection, which can cause severe problems.

Oral Infection

Overlooking the gum infection can cause periodontitis. Not getting treatment for gingivitis is the main reason for the issue. You need to see the dentist at the starting stage of the disease. It will eliminate the serious risk of damage to bones as well as teeth.

Symptoms Of Periodontitis

When the gingivitis progresses to the periodontitis, it can lead to the following symptoms:

• Loose teeth
• Bad Breath
• Pus under your teeth
• Gum abscesses

Other Oral Infections

Oral Thrush

Salty taste in the mouth along with bleeding also signifies other underlying oral infection like thrush. Oral thrush is the common yeast infection that affects anyone. The main symptom of the problem is the white patches in the mouth. It can accompany with painful burning sensation. Many people experience salty taste. But, some may not taste anything.

Oral HPV

The oral human papillomavirus can cause infection in your mouth. You may not experience any symptoms in the starting stage of the disease. But, as the disease progresses, you can see signs like:

• Salty taste
• Hoarseness
• Coughing Blood

Post-Nasal Drip

You may have sinus infection or allergies that can cause trouble. So, your doctor may prescribe post-nasal drip to clear the issue. It can cause salty taste in the mouth. Your nose forms mucus due to the infection or allergy. When you get sick, it can build at the back of the throat. The mucus mixes with your saliva and results in salty taste. It also causes a runny or stuffy nose that makes it difficult to breathe. Postnasal drip is an irritating condition as the excess mucus in your nose starts dripping down the throat. So, the presence of the mucus can turn the saliva salty.

Symptoms Of Postnasal Drip

The issue is quite common, so you may experience stuffy nose. You can also experience salty taste in the mouth. But, you need immediate medical attention to the following symptoms:

• The nose block that lasts for more than ten days
• Sinus Pain
• Nasal discharge with blood in it
• High fever
• Green/Yellow nasal discharge
• Clear nasal discharge

Salty Taste In Mouth Due To Bile/Acid Reflux

Bile reflux is a cause of severe discomfort in your body. It can cause a sour or salty taste in the mouth. The bile reflux and acid reflux can occur separately or together. The acid reflux is caused due to the stomach acids flowing into another organ, esophagus. While the bile reflux is the result of bile fluid flowing from the small intestine into esophagus and stomach.

Symptoms Of Acid/Bile Reflux

Along with the salty taste, you can also experience other symptoms like:

• Nausea
• Frequent heartburn
• Vomiting Bile
• Weight loss without any reason
• Hoarseness or a cough

Nutritional Deficiency

Your body all the nutrients to maintain its balance. The lack of nutrients in the body can result in metallic or salty taste in the mouth. The nutritional deficiency does not happen overnight. It occurs over the course of several years.

Symptoms Of Salty Taste In Mouth Due To Nutritional Deficiency

Along with salty taste, you experience other symptoms like:

• Irregular heartbeat
• Fatigue
• Personality Changes
• Pallor
• Numbness in hands as well as feet
• Confusion

Another Cause For Salty Taste In Mouth: Sjögren Syndrome

It is the condition that results in the immune system attacking the moisture making glands. Hence, the glands in our body like tear ducts, salivary glands, and salivary gland gets affected. It causes dry eyes, dry mouth, and salty taste.

Symptoms Of Sjögren Syndrome

• Fatigue
• A dry Cough
• Vaginal Dryness
• Joint Pain
• Skin Rashes

You may experience other autoimmune disorders like rheumatoid arthritis or lupus with the issue. Therefore, you need medical attention to get the desired treatment.

Other Underlying Issues Causing Salty Taste In Mouth

Other health issues and medications can lead to the issue. Some of the other problems that have a salty taste in mouth as one of the symptoms are:

Neurological Problems

Issues affecting brain can cause the problem. A cerebrospinal fluid leak is one of the issues. It happens due to the hole or tear in the membranes surrounding the brain. Hence, it results in the fluid escaping the brain and dripping into nose and mouth. It also has additional symptoms like vomiting, nausea, neck stiffness, and cognitive changes.

Hormonal Changes

Most women experience changes in their body due to pregnancy and menopause. It can cause the gums to bleed or become tender. Therefore, it results in metallic taste or salty taste in mouth. But, it can vary from person to person.

Side Effects Of Medication

Several medications causes dry mouth. It is found that more than four hundred medication results in metallic or salty taste. You need to talk to your doctor to see if your medication is causing the taste change.

Chemotherapy Side Effects

Cancer treatments can damage taste buds. So, people undergoing chemotherapy for cancer can experience taste changes. The chemotherapy can affect the salivary glands. Hence, it results in the dry mouth or salty taste. It is prevalent in patients getting treatment or radiation therapy for neck and head cancers.

Diagnosis Of Salty Taste In Mouth

As mentioned in the causes, several conditions can cause the issue. But, the salty taste in mouth is easy to treat. Finding the underlying condition is necessary to get the right treatment. Therefore, you need to seek an appointment with your doctor. The doctor will perform several tests to check the signs of infections and other symptoms. Subsequently, your doctor may conduct the following to understand the actual cause:

Mouth Examination

Examining the mouth can give your doctor a clear idea about the presence of infection. Oral thrush can leave white patches on the mouth. So, a thorough examination can give an idea.

Learn About Your Lifestyle

Understanding about your diet, exercise, and the regular lifestyle is necessary to detect the actual cause. Some medication or treatment can result in the abnormal taste. So, it helps your doctor narrow down the main issue that causes salty taste in mouth.

Blood Tests

The blood work will reveal the presence of problems like an infection in your body. It helps develop a treatment plan

With the correct diagnosis, a feasible treatment plan is devised. It will help overcome the problem and the symptoms like salty taste in mouth.

Treatment For Salty Taste In Mouth

Your doctor can find the exact cause leading to the salty taste in mouth. Some issues need simple treatment at home. But, other requires expert medical attention to alleviate the cause as well as the symptoms. Therefore, before taking steps at home, it is important to visit the dentist or doctor for expert guidance. Based on the professional diagnosis, you can adopt appropriate steps.

Dehydration

Hydrating your body by drinking 8 to 10 glasses of water every day is good for your body. It can overcome the dehydration. People who lose fluids due to sickness, hot weather or strenuous exercise can drink water to eliminate the problem. Ignoring dehydration can result in severe complications. It can result in kidney diseases, seizures or heat exhaustion. In some cases, people can experience life-threatening condition (like hypovolemic shock). Hence, your doctor can recommend drinking water. Else, you need to get admitted in hospital to receive fluids or electrolytes through IV (intravenously).

Oral Problems

You need to maintain good dental hygiene to eliminate the infections and other dental problems. Hence, it will help you overcome the salty taste in mouth. Visiting the dentist is better for getting apt treatment for the infections.

Postnasal Drip

The cold and allergy-related nose block clears on its own. It does not need medical attention. You can take bed rest and follow some common home remedies. The over-the-counter cold medications (antihistamine), drinking enough fluids, and blowing the nose can relive the problems. The saline rinses or spray is effective for clearing the nasal passages in the following cases:

• Common cold
• Sinus Infection
• Allergies

With the clearing of the nasal passage, the salty taste in mouth also disappears.

Acid/Bile Reflux

Ignoring the reflux can lead to more complicated problems like:

• GERD gastroesophageal reflux disease
• Barrett’s esophagus (a precancerous condition)
• Esophageal cancer

Therefore, it is significant to contact your doctor to get necessary treatment. Depending on the severity of the issue, your doctor can suggest a treatment. The treatment varies from diet and lifestyle changes, taking medication, and surgery for severe problem.

Nutritional Deficiencies

The nutritional deficiency is the body is treated by providing the specific vitamin that your body is lacking. So, depending on the issue, the following vitamins are provided:

• Vitamin C Deficiency: Taking foods rich in Vitamin C like fruits or including external supplement.
• Folate efficiency: Included a balanced diet along with taking folate supplements.
• Vitamin B12 Deficiency: Changing the diet is the main solution. Sometimes you may have to take pills, nasal sprays or injections for the B12 deficiency.

Complications Due To Salty Taste In Mouth

Though the issue sounds simple, it needs proper medical help to overcome the issue. Ignoring the signs and symptoms of the problem can only worsen it. So, it leads to other severe complication. People experiencing the salty taste in mouth need to consult a doctor as soon as possible. It will help reveal the actual problem that causes the issue. Therefore, it help devise the right treatment plan to overcome the underlying cause.

Preventing Salty Taste In Mouth

Though salty taste in mouth is not a serious condition, you may feel severe discomfort. So, it is better to take some steps to prevent the issue from affecting you. You can adopt the following techniques in our daily life. It will effectively keep the root cause that leads to salty taste in mouth

Oral Hygiene To Prevent Salty Taste In Mouth

Practicing good oral hygiene is important to prevent dental diseases. Dental disease is one of the main cause of the salty taste in mouth. So, you can include the following steps for preventing dental issues:

• Brush two times a day
• Rinse with an antibacterial mouthwash
• Visit the dentist for checkups

Diet

Your diet also plays an important role in avoiding the salty taste in mouth. The consumption of spicy or greasy food can make the problem trouble you frequently. So, avoid having greasy or spicy food. Include a balanced diet for maintaining overall health.

Water

Dehydration is a severe issue that can cause problems like the salt taste. So, drink plenty of water to avoid it. Drinking 8-10 glasses of water daily are good for your health.

Avoid Alcohol And Tobacco

Consuming alcohol for a long period of time can cause issues to your taste buds. Using tobacco and tobacco products can also cause the damage. So, it is better to avoid overconsumption of alcohol and tobacco for good oral health.

Sugar-Free Gum

If salty taste in mouth interrupts your life, you can use sugar-free gum. Chewing the gum can eliminate the salty taste.

Conclusion

The salty taste in the mouth is a common and simple issue. But, getting the doctor’s advice is important to identify the actual cause. It will help to overcome the problem with the right medication or supplements. If it is the side effects of any medication, then it is easy to identify with the doctor’s help. Once you take the right steps, the issue disappears. So, always seek the guidance of a healthcare professional for the best results.

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