8 reasons why there is a salty taste in the mouth

April 24, 2019

Does the salty taste in your mouth and on your lips or tongue have anything to do with what you recently ate? So it’s time to read the article prepared by the editors of the UltraSmile.ru portal. Keep in mind that the problem can be caused by very unpleasant and even dangerous processes occurring in the body. Details below.

A salty taste in the mouth can be caused by many factors.

Reason #1: poor oral hygiene

If you don't clean your teeth and gums well enough or completely ignore your daily care routine, plaque will begin to accumulate on your teeth. Initially, it is soft in consistency, but under the influence of salts from saliva it mineralizes and hardens. Such plaque is an excellent “base” for the proliferation of pathogenic bacteria; it cannot be cleaned without the help of a dentist and professional hygiene procedures. Bacterial waste products and mineralized, hardened plaque contribute to the sensation of a salty taste on the lips and in the mouth.

The development of bacteria on teeth can cause saltiness

Reason #2: bleeding gums

There is a taste of salt and you don’t know what could be causing it? The cause of this phenomenon could be bleeding gums. It could arise against the background of trauma to the mucous membrane or as a result of the development of gingivitis or periodontitis.

Blood is close in its ionic composition to sea water. It contains sodium and chloride ions, due to which people with a similar pathology experience a salty taste.

Your mouth may also feel salty due to the fact that you recently had a tooth removed. After all, after this procedure, a wound has formed, which first bleeds, and then ichor is released from it for a long time. Damaged tissues need time to heal, after which the unpleasant symptom will no longer bother you.

Inflammation and bleeding of the gums causes this problem.

Reason No. 3: abuse of salty foods

Why are your lips salty and your mouth taste like salt? The most common reason is that you ate salty food. Remember that salt in large quantities is harmful to the body, it negatively affects the cardiovascular system, kidneys and liver, stomach, retains fluid in the tissues, and at the same time contributes to poor absorption of calcium, which is so beneficial for our teeth and bones. Salt accelerates the aging of the body and impairs the functioning of blood vessels.

As an alternative to this product, scientists advise adding healthy and safe natural substitutes to your food - celery, herbs and seasonings, garlic, dried seaweed. To preserve the salts found in natural foods, it is recommended to steam them rather than fry or boil them.

Excessive salt intake can leave a taste on the lips and tongue

A scientist from Maine actually proposed an alternative way to salt food - special cutlery that, touching the tongue, produces impulses. Thanks to this, a person has the feeling that he has eaten rich food. Scientists at the University of Tokyo have also developed a three-mode electric plug that can imitate the taste of salt. Such a fork was tested in one of the restaurants in Tokyo, where visitors were offered to eat completely lean cutlets with its help. After using such devices, the same taste of salt appears in the mouth and on the lips.

Drug therapy

The taste of salt in the mouth (the causes in women cannot be determined independently, a comprehensive diagnosis is necessary) requires individual treatment in each individual case, since the provoking factor is numerous external and internal changes.

The treatment regimen will be selected by a specialized doctor, citing the results of the examination and accompanying symptoms that worry the woman.

The established diagnosis determines which medications the specialist will recommend to his patient:

Ampiox

Vitamin complexes, which are additionally prescribed to patients, have a general strengthening effect. They contain essential minerals and vitamins to boost the body's defenses.

Reason #4: Dehydration

If you have a salty taste in your mouth, then it’s time to calculate how much clean water you drink per day. Because it is the imbalance of fluid in the body that often becomes the answer to the question of why the salty taste bothers us. Our saliva contains sodium chloride, in other words, it is ordinary salt. When fluid is lost in the body, blood and saliva thicken, causing dry mouth. Saliva undergoes a process of dehydration, causing it to contain more salt and less liquid and other useful minerals. The more severe the dehydration, the more clearly the unpleasant symptom appears.

The cause of dehydration could be a low-carbohydrate diet, taking diuretics, poisoning and indigestion, drinking alcoholic beverages, drinking too much strong coffee or soda, or smoking a large number of cigarettes. Dehydration can develop during intense physical activity, after spending a long time in the scorching sun or in hot, stuffy rooms.

An imbalance of fluid in the body often causes a bothersome salty taste.

When dehydrated, the taste of salt may be accompanied by other alarming symptoms: weakness, dizziness, thirst, rare urination, diarrhea. The first thing to do in such a condition is to drink as much liquid as possible, in particular clean water. It’s better to generally make it a rule to drink at least one and a half or two liters of water a day every day. This is approximately 8 glasses. However, in cases where the body suffers from dehydration, this figure can be safely increased. For example, lovers of strong coffee drinks who drink up to 5 mugs of coffee a day should regulate the balance of healthy fluids in the body by taking 2-3 glasses of clean water more than those who are not fond of coffee.

Reason #5: taking certain medications

The feeling of salt in the mouth and lips appears when using hormonal drugs, antihistamines, antidepressants and diuretics. The problem is often typical for people who are being treated for cancer with chemotherapy. If the constant taste of salt is associated specifically with taking certain medications, then when they are discontinued, it will disappear without a trace. If the pills need to be taken on an ongoing basis, then why not visit your doctor so that he can select a different drug? This way you can get rid of the problem.

Taking medications

All medications affect metabolism to one degree or another. This may manifest itself as foreign tastes in the mouth - this side effect is safe, but sometimes irritating to the patient. This feature is usually indicated in the instructions if you carefully read the section on side effects. Most often, a salty taste is caused by: Unflavored lozenges; Sprays and solutions for rinsing the mouth and throat; Antibiotics; Antihistamines (antiallergic) drugs; Some hormonal medications; Chemotherapy drugs used in oncology; Antidepressants. Particular attention should be paid to diuretics. The salty taste may be due to the characteristics of the active substance or to incipient dehydration. When treating with them, you cannot change your drinking regimen without permission; this will reduce the effectiveness of therapy, so you need to consult a doctor and pay attention to the presence or absence of other signs of dehydration.

Reason #6: ENT diseases

The salty taste sometimes has rather trivial causes: for example, bacterial sinusitis, allergic rhinitis, tonsillitis, pharyngitis, sinusitis or a cold. During inflammation, mucus appears in the sinuses, which consists of mucin protein, salt, nucleic acids and water. In the acute course of the disease, snot flows down the walls of the nasopharynx into the throat, and accordingly, a feeling of salt occurs. With sluggish inflammation of the ENT organs, mucus is also constantly disturbing by its appearance in the mouth.

ENT diseases also contribute to the appearance of a salty taste

Reason #7: dysfunction of the salivary glands

A specific taste of salt appears in the mouth as a result of the development of various diseases that damage the functionality of the salivary glands:

• Sjögren's syndrome: is an autoimmune systemic disorder of connective tissue. The disease mainly affects the lacrimal and salivary glands. The pathology can develop against the background of rheumatoid arthritis or lupus erythematosus,
• xerostomia: a condition characterized by dry mouth, which explains the presence of a salty taste in the mouth. This pathology can develop in those who take antihistamines or antidepressants, suffer from hypertension and diabetes. The disease also occurs in people who have undergone radiation therapy in the head and neck area. However, according to some studies, xerostomia most often occurs in older people. Between 10 and 60% of older people worldwide suffer from dry mouth. Moreover, the disease most often affects women1.

The culprit may be salivary stone disease, which is caused by blockage of the salivary glands. You can read about it in more detail in a separate article on the website, specially prepared by journalists from the portal’s editorial office.

Dry mouth causes a specific taste

The salty taste that occurs against the background of xerostomia is not dangerous in itself. But the diseases that caused it are dangerous, as well as the unpleasant consequences of dry mucous membranes. The fact is that saliva is a protector of the oral cavity from bacterial attack. Saliva also washes away food particles and helps us soften food. But if there is not enough of it, then difficulties with swallowing food and stomach problems inevitably arise, as well as dental problems. A person with xerostomia has a high risk of rapid development of oral dysbiosis, caries, pulpitis, periodontitis, gingivitis, and stomatitis. Also, when the mucous membrane is dry, a persistent bad breath occurs.

Treatment

Help before diagnosis

Moderate drooling does not pose a threat to health and does not require emergency treatment. With nocturnal sialorrhea, patients are advised to sleep on their side so that saliva does not enter the respiratory tract. To prevent maceration of the skin around the mouth, you need to maintain hygiene and use nourishing and moisturizing creams. Since there is a risk of dehydration with excessive drooling, you should increase the amount of fluid you drink per day.

To reduce saliva production, doctors advise avoiding sweets, carbonated drinks and foods rich in extractive substances. Hygienic oral care is best done with slightly foaming toothpastes. For swallowing disorders and perioral muscle dysfunction, motor exercises are prescribed to help control drooling. Special massage and physiotherapy are used less frequently.

Conservative therapy

In most situations, drooling can be completely eliminated after treatment of the underlying pathology. The therapeutic regimen is selected by a doctor of the appropriate profile: gastroenterologist, otolaryngologist, neurologist. If drooling is caused by acute poisoning, an intensive detoxification program is carried out in a hospital setting. With massive sialorrhea, pathogenetic therapy is required, which includes:

• M-anticholinergics
  . Medicines inhibit the secretion of the salivary glands, quickly eliminating salivation. In addition to standard tablet products, there are skin patches. Solutions with anticholinergics are also used to rinse the mouth.
• Tricyclic antidepressants
  . An additional effect of medications is a decrease in the functional activity of glandular tissue. They are primarily prescribed for psychogenic salivation.
• Botulinum toxin
  . Botulinum toxin temporarily blocks the nerve impulses that stimulate salivation. It is used in the form of local injections in the absence of effect from standard conservative treatment.

Why does the problem occur in women?

Taste of salt in my mouth. What does it mean? Most often, the phenomenon occurs in women, for example, before menstruation or during pregnancy. Saltiness in the mouth may be due to dehydration as a result of toxicosis. Another reason is dysgeusia. This is a disease in which taste disturbance occurs. During pregnancy, under the influence of hormones, such a condition occurs often and is temporary - after delivery everything goes away without a trace.

Pregnancy often causes toxicosis

The fair half of humanity may have salt on their lips and mouth due to frequent mood swings and emotionality. The reason for its appearance is tears. However, tears can become a frequent companion not only for women, but also for everyone else if there are more serious health problems: allergies, eye diseases, photophobia.

In older women, the taste of salt on the lips and mouth occurs due to menopause. The phenomenon is often accompanied by dry mucous membranes, the inability to swallow hard or large pieces of food, itching and burning.

What does a salty taste in the mouth indicate?

If a man or woman constantly feels a salty taste in the mouth, this means that there are problems of a chronic nature. Due to the constant supply of mucus during illness of the ENT organs, tear fluid due to dysfunction of the lacrimal glands creates unpleasant sensations. They can also appear when you abuse alcoholic beverages, eat large amounts of salty food, or dehydrate the body.

The taste of salt in the morning can be associated with drinking coffee, insufficient oral hygiene, as well as with more serious causes - stomach disease, causing reflux or belching. In this case, unpleasant symptoms are felt immediately after waking up. Smoked meats and pickles for breakfast will inevitably cause a change in taste perception. People complain of salty saliva due to diseases of the salivary glands, dehydration, an excess of salty foods in the diet, diabetes mellitus, and kidney pathologies. If salt is felt on the lips, we can talk about excessive sweating, allergies, and lacrimation.

Why does the problem occur in men?

There is a salty taste in my mouth. What is it and why does it occur in men? This phenomenon often occurs in athletes or people engaged in exhausting physical labor. During physical overload or training, blood pressure rises and blood flows stronger. And as we have already found out, the blood contains sodium, chloride and iron ions. This explains why, after physical labor or active sports, a person has salty lips and a feeling of salt in the mouth.

Don't abuse alcohol

In the morning after a stormy party or get-togethers with friends, you wonder why there is a taste of salt in your mouth? The reason may lie in alcohol abuse. Don't forget that alcoholic drinks have a strong dehydrating effect. An excess of alcohol in the blood causes intoxication and dehydration of the body. To restore the balance of fluids and beneficial minerals in the body, be sure to drink plenty of distilled water and mineral water in the following days.

What can you say about children?

If a child feels the taste of salt in his mouth and lips, then the reasons can be completely different. This may be due to poor oral hygiene, dehydration, or internal diseases of the body. Here, to identify the problem, you need to observe the baby. If the phenomenon is permanent, then it is necessary to contact a pediatrician and show the child to a dentist. Doctors will examine the little patient, conduct a series of studies, and issue a referral for tests. If you have a constant taste of salt in your mouth, adults should also be examined by a therapist and dentist.

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1. I.M. Makeeva, V.Yu. Doroshina, M.G. Arakelyan. Xerostomia and remedies that alleviate its manifestations. Dentistry. 2013;92(5): 12-13

Diagnostics

If the salty taste has become persistent, you should contact your doctor to find out the reasons.

During the initial examination, the doctor must familiarize himself with the patient’s medical history, take into account all complaints and note symptoms , and, if necessary, examine visually and by palpation (if the lymph nodes are enlarged).

Note! Then a set of necessary tests is prescribed to accurately determine the possible disease:

• A detailed blood test to check for infection;
• Biochemistry blood test to determine the amount of enzymes produced by the kidneys;
• A general urine test will show the degree of dehydration;
• Sanitation of the oral cavity (examination of mucous secretions will help determine what led to the inflammatory process - an allergy or an infection);
• Ultrasound of the maxillary and nasal sinuses will give a clear picture of the structure of the soft tissues and the presence of pus;
• An x-ray of the nasal septum will show the presence of a cartilaginous septum or its curvature;
• MRI and CT will give a complete overview of any tissue in every detail using micro-section images.

Important! After the examination results are obtained, the patient is referred to a specialist for further treatment.

Comments

Which doctor should you visit first if you constantly have a salty taste in your mouth?

Agata (05/16/2019 at 07:44 pm) Reply to comment

Dear Agatha! First you need to visit a dentist and an ENT doctor. You need to take a biochemical blood test and take pictures of the paranasal sinuses. If these doctors have not identified any problems, then be sure to go to a therapist, who will prescribe tests for other diseases.

Editorial staff of the portal UltraSmile.ru (05/20/2019 at 09:18) Reply to comment

Have you found the reason for the taste of salt in my mouth? I’ve been going to all the doctors for 2 months, no one knows

Julia (05.05.2021 at 18:05) Reply to comment

Write your comment Cancel reply

Treatment depending on the identified cause

Treatment depends entirely on what is causing the salty taste in your mouth. There is no point in fighting the symptom - it will constantly return. Moreover, such actions are dangerous, since the pathological process continues if it is not stopped.

If the cause is tartar, the dentist will prescribe its removal or professional cleaning. This is not only a way to whiten your teeth, but also solve hygiene problems. It is recommended to repeat this procedure only at certain intervals, and it does not replace proper dental care. If the problem is something else, then appropriate means are used.

Medicines (tablets, ointments, solutions, injections)

Etiotropic ones are used, i.e.
affecting the cause, and pathogenetic agents that stop the pathological process. Medicines for the actual salty taste in the mouth are not used - this is impractical. Antibiotics are prescribed if there is a bacterial infection and the causative agent is identified. Used for sinusitis, inflammatory processes in the oral cavity, mumps, inflammation of the lacrimal canal.

Dosage forms:

• Local – dental ointments, solutions for rinsing the mouth and throat, eye drops, nasal drops;
• Tablets - used when there is a high risk of complications and spread of infection;
• Injections - most often inside the sinuses. In severe cases, intramuscular or intravenous administration of antibiotics.

The same rule applies to all antimicrobial and antifungal agents - the course of treatment should be at least 5 and no more than 10 days . Broad-spectrum agents are usually prescribed.

Antihistamines (antiallergic) drugs are prescribed for allergies . Depending on the type of irritant, medications can be taken in advance before contact with the allergen, in courses during a dangerous period, or urgently when symptoms appear.

In case of hormonal imbalances, medications are prescribed that return hormonal levels to normal. Selecting an appropriate treatment regimen will take time, since the body's reaction is individual.

Anti-inflammatory drugs are classified as pathogenetic. They are prescribed for bacterial, fungal and viral infections, allergic reactions . Their task is to stop the pathological process. Effective in combination with etiotropic drugs. The forms of administration are varied - these are dental ointments, rinses, throat sprays, eye drops, nasal drops, oral powders, tablets, etc.

For chronic diseases, medications are prescribed to slow down the pathological process. The complete list of medications can be very extensive and depends on the course of the disease in a particular patient. Among the chronic diseases manifested by a salty taste are diabetes mellitus, gastritis and peptic ulcers, GERD, and chronic renal failure. Their treatment regimens are completely different.

In case of early stage dehydration, the patient is recommended to normalize the drinking regime. To normalize fluid metabolism, rehydron is prescribed - a drug with electrolytes in powder form. It is advisable to drink mineral water, limit tea and coffee. If these measures do not help and the pathological process develops, hospitalization and intravenous fluid administration are required.

Folk recipes

These are symptomatic remedies that will help temporarily get rid of the problem, but will not help cure it.
Traditional medicine recommends various herbal rinses that will restore normal sense of taste. Among the popular recipes:

• Chamomile;
• Sage;
• Eucalyptus;
• Oak bark;
• Calendula.

It is recommended to rinse your mouth with an infusion of these plants (separately or in a mixture) every 2-3 hours. Doctors do not recommend combining traditional methods with treatment with sprays and dental ointments - this reduces the effectiveness of the drugs. Traditional rinses are useful for patients with chronic diseases, for whom the salty taste is not the main, but unpleasant symptom. In pregnant women, unless a more serious cause is identified, the use of rinses will also be effective.

Diet

It is necessary to exclude from the diet foods that significantly increase the secretion of salt and increase the amount of fluid.
Authorized products:

• Fruits and vegetables – up to 50% of the diet;
• Cereals;
• Coarse bread;
• Meat – chicken or turkey;
• Lean fish;
• For sweets – dried fruits, walnuts, honey (if there is no inflammation in the oral cavity);
• Milk;
• Mineral water;
• Fruit and vegetable juices;
• Compotes, jelly, infusions;
• Vegetable oil.

It is permissible to prepare food in any way, except for salting, marinating and smoking, the main thing is to observe the measure in adding salt. The list of prohibited foods includes salted and pickled vegetables, smoked meats, canned food, sausages, most cheeses, any salty foods, alcohol, tea and coffee. Other products are added as desired, but in small quantities.

If the patient suffers from chronic diseases and has already been prescribed a diet, then the menu is selected based on all the recommendations. The right diet is not decisive in getting rid of an unpleasant symptom if it is not caused by the abuse of salt and alcohol.