Many people can experience tasting of blood in their mouth. This taste is usually metallic because of the presence of iron in the blood, a mineral that is used to make hemoglobin. Blood in your mouth can occur when you accidentally bite your tongue. This can make it difficult for you to taste food. If left untreated, it may lead to loss of appetite and affect the overall health of the affected person as a result of not eating.
Causes of Blood Taste in Mouth
There are many causes that can cause blood taste in your mouth. They include:
Nasal congestion: Taste and smell are similar senses. When your nose is congested or stuffy, you will not be able to smell what you are eating. This may present peculiar taste in your mouth including blood taste or metallic.
Bleeding gums: Your gums can bleed if you do not clean your teeth properly. This may provide a favorable environment for bacteria and other microorganisms to thrive. These microorganisms attacks your gums causing bleeding. This condition is called Gingivitis.
Dryness: Dryness is another cause of blood taste in your mouth. Saliva assists you in identifying the taste of food. But it can dry up due to breathing through the mouth, painful asthma, dehydration and certain drugs. When this happens, your mouth loses its ability to sense taste thus making you feel like experiencing blood taste.
Side effects of medications: Certain drugs may cause a metallic taste in your mouth as a result of iron being one of the chemicals in the drug. Examples of drugs that cause blood taste in your mouth are antibiotics, steroids, nicotine, Diuretics, chemotherapy, antihistamines and antifungal drugs.
Surgery: You may also feel blood taste after surgery. Some surgeries require you to use anesthesia medication to numb the site of surgery and reduce pain during surgery. These numbing drugs can leave a blood taste in your mouth.
Medical conditions: Certain medical condition can cause blood taste in your mouth. For example if you have diabetes, kidney stones, heart problem and cancer can cause a metallic taste in your mouth. Another medical condition that can cause blood taste in your mouth is dysgeusia. This condition affects your taste control nerves which can lead to blood taste in your mouth.
Trauma: Injury or trauma to your head or nose can cause a strange smell in your nose. This can affect the ability of oral cavity to taste food thus leading to a metallic taste in your mouth.
Pregnancy: When you are expectant, you will experience different tastes in your mouth in the early stages of your pregnancy.
Exposure to chemicals: Exposure to certain chemicals such as mercury can cause blood taste in your mouth.
Exercise: Strenuous exercises or workout can cause blood taste in your mouth. This can occur as a result of congestion in your sinus or breathing problems. This can also be due to high blood pressure in your lungs. In most cases, this happens when your body is in anaerobic state. Athletes are most affected by this and it limits their exercise.
Other causes of blood taste in your mouth include:
- Taking excess copper or iron dosages: Overdosing yourself with copper and iron vitamin supplements can cause a metallic taste in your mouth.
- Infections: Infections such as flu or cold can lead to a blood taste in your mouth. In most cases, you will experience a blood taste to indicate a pending flu or sinus infection.
- Allergy: Food allergy can also cause a metallic taste in your mouth.
Treatment
Treating blood taste in your mouth depends on the underlying causes. The following remedies can be used to cure metallic or blood taste in your mouth:
Oral hygiene: Taking good care of your teeth can prevent gum bleeding and tooth decay as well as boost your taste in your mouth. You can take care of your teeth by brushing them regularly after every meal. This helps eliminate bacteria and other microorganisms in your mouth that cause infections in your gums and teeth. Wash your mouth with a glass of salt water to prevent infections. In addition, go for dental checkups to help identify and treat dental issues.
Eat a healthy diet: Eat food rich in vegetable, fruits and grains. Increase your intake of citrus juices and food that contain vinegar.
Use cinnamon and cloves: Cinnamons and cloves can also be used to ease the problem of blood taste in your mouth. Every time you feel blood taste, put a cinnamon or a clove in your mouth but do not chew it until the bad taste disappears.
Finish prescription: If certain drugs care causing the bad taste in your mouth, try and finish the dose and see if the taste disappears. If it does not, consult your doctor.
If there is no improvement in the taste in your mouth after trying the above remedies, seek medical help. This problem varies among individuals and it depends on the cause. Therefore the best treatment will focus on identifying the cause and treating it properly.
