What Causes Bitter Taste in Mouth

Many factors leave a metallic or bitter taste in your mouth. In this section, the main causes of this bitter taste are outlined.

1 Poor Oral Hygiene

Ignoring your oral hygiene may lead to gum diseases and teeth problems such as tooth infection, periodontitis and gingivitis, which may leave a metallic taste. But the infection and bitter taste clear up with prescription medicine.

2 Certain Medication

Some prescription drugs used to treat cardiac and psychiatric cause a bitter taste. These include lithium, antibiotics like tetracycline, and allopurinol. The medicines come out in your saliva after absorption. The prescriptions and antidepressants may lead to a dry mouth and affect your taste buds.

3 Vitamin and Supplements

Multivitamins and prenatal vitamins with high amounts of heavy metals such as zinc, copper or chromium will cause a bitter taste in mouth. Calcium and iron supplements have the same effect. The taste disappears after the supplements and vitamins are absorbed in your body. The taste might persist if you overdose.

4 Inhaled Substances

Smoking affects your taste buds, which leads to a bitter taste in mouth. You suffer the bitter taste if you inhale some environmental chemicals such as rubber dust, gasoline or benzene.

5 Acid Reflux

Acid reflux occurs when stomach acids move up to the esophagus, leaving a bitter taste and a foul breath in your mouth. You can treat this condition by limiting your intake of greasy and spicy foods. Some helpful prescriptions for this condition include anti-acids, prokinetic agents, and suppressants.

6 Pregnancy

Hormonal imbalances may cause bouts of vomiting or nausea at certain pregnancy stages, which leave a bad taste. This condition is common among pregnant women and clears within a few days. Eating candies with a lemon or mint flavor clears the bad taste.

7 Other Causes of Bitter Taste in Mouth

A bitter taste may result from dehydration, glossitis, a dry mouth, allergies, salivary glands infections, lack of zinc and vitamin B12, and polyps in the nose. Others include breathing through the mouth, inflamed upper airways, and autoimmune diseases like Sjogren's syndrome and Bell's palsy. Some injuries and traumas that cause a bitter taste include head, nerve, mouth and nose injuries, and biting your tongue. Dental appliances such as braces, any surgery on your ear, nose, teeth or throat, and radiation therapy on your neck or head cause a bitter taste in mouth.