Men and women may experience a feeling of sweetness in the mouth. This phenomenon does not always have a pathological etymology.
It is normal to have a sweet taste in your mouth after eating cake, pastry or marmalade.
But if its occurrence is not preceded by a meal, a pathological process is probably occurring in the body.
What does it mean? In this material, we will analyze in detail why a sweetish taste in the mouth makes itself felt not only after eating.
Factors that cause a sweet taste in the mouth
If a person wakes up in the morning and feels a sweetish taste in his mouth, there is probably a malfunction in his gastrointestinal tract.
However, disruption of the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract is not the only problem that causes the appearance of a sweet taste in the mouth.
Let's consider the main reasons for this phenomenon:
- A sinus disease caused by ingestion of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a pathogenic organism, the entry of which into the body provokes a change in taste sensations. Simply put, if Pseudomonas aeruginosa settles on the nasal mucosa, then different taste sensations may appear in the throat and mouth of a person. Speaking about why there is a sweetish taste in the mouth due to sinus disease, it is necessary to note a malfunction of the receptors. Other symptoms of the disease: difficulty breathing, nasal congestion and discomfort in the chest area.
- Contact with chemicals. In this case, a person is faced with the manifestation of symptoms of intoxication of the body. This happens with pesticide poisoning. For example, he experiences nausea, a feeling of sweetness in his mouth, dizziness and vomiting.
- Quitting smoking. When a heavy smoker gives up a bad habit, his body experiences stress. Sweetness on the tongue is felt as a side reaction of the body.
- Abuse of sweet foods, which provokes a deterioration in carbohydrate metabolism. Such a failure in the metabolic process leads to rapid weight gain.
- Failure in endocrine functioning. The manifestation of this symptom is often a consequence of the development of thyroid disease. In this case, hormonal changes occur in the patient’s body.
- Development of kidney disease.
- Mental stress. When a person is under stress, his internal organs do not function properly. For example, after severe mental stress, the facial or trigeminal nerve is often affected. Therefore, a sweet taste in the mouth after stress is not uncommon. In this case, the patient needs to consult a neurologist.
- Dental ailments. If pathology does not develop in the human body, but sweetness is regularly felt in the mouth, this is probably due to diseases of the gums or teeth. Consultation with a dentist is required.
- Diabetes. Patients suffering from diabetes mellitus experience this symptom due to insufficient levels of insulin in the blood.
To get rid of the pathology that caused the appearance of a sweet taste in the mouth after the onset of complications, you need to consult a doctor.
Important! Do not leave the treatment to chance, as this will have adverse effects. Any manifestation of alarming symptoms should be a reason for undergoing a medical examination.
An annoying problem is the appearance of a honey taste in the mouth. The reasons for people are not only pathological, but also physiological.
If you have eaten a spoonful of honey, sugar or other yummy food and feel a similar taste in your mouth for several hours afterward, this is normal.
In this case, there is no need to sound the alarm, as this is a natural phenomenon. If it causes you inconvenience, take appropriate measures.
You can “knock down” the unwanted taste with liquid or other food. For example, a sip of water or a slice of lemon will help.
The easiest way is to chew mint gum. An alternative to chewing gum is lollipop.
But the development of diseases is not the only factor that provokes the emergence of this problem.
Speaking about why there is a sweet taste in the mouth, one cannot fail to note such a factor as overeating.
According to gastroenterologists, after a person has pleased himself with a large amount of food eaten in one meal, he is faced with the manifestation of symptoms such as flatulence, that is, severe bloating, changes in taste buds and the appearance of a sugary taste in the mouth.
Treatment
To relieve pathologies, antibiotics, anti-inflammatory medications, and antacids are used, depending on the type of disease. The use of alternative medicine recipes will help to consolidate the achieved results. If the cause of the taste lies in a dental disease, you need to undergo a course of dental treatment.
Knowing why an unpleasant taste appears, you can successfully prevent its occurrence by regularly undergoing medical examinations, correcting your diet, and observing work and rest schedules.
If it was not possible to avoid the manifestation of a symptom, you should immediately contact the clinic - a favorable outcome of any internal diseases is possible only if you receive high-quality and timely therapy.
To reduce discomfort, first of all you need to change your diet: limit the amount of sweets, white bread, fatty foods as much as possible, increase the content of protein foods, fresh vegetables and fruits. It is important to maintain an adequate drinking regime. To get rid of the obsessive aftertaste, you can eat citrus fruits and drink water with lemon juice.
Doctors recommend maintaining oral hygiene: brush your teeth thoroughly 2 times a day, and use dental floss or a toothpick after eating. To effectively clean the interdental spaces, use a mouthwash or irrigator. A sweet taste that occurs against the background of abdominal pain, heartburn, nausea or vomiting is an indication to consult a specialist.
Treatment tactics depend on the cause of the cloying-sweet sensation. Drug therapy is combined with local effects - rinsing the mouth with antiseptic solutions or herbal decoctions, medicinal pastes on the area of the dental canals. The treatment regimen for diseases accompanied by a sweet taste in the mouth often includes:
- Insulin. Hormone replacement therapy is indicated to normalize glucose concentrations in type 1 diabetes. An intensified treatment regimen with a combination of short- and long-acting insulins is selected. For type 2 diabetes mellitus, oral hypoglycemic drugs are taken.
- Enzymes. Enzyme agents are effective for exocrine pancreatic insufficiency. They improve digestive function and promote the breakdown of fats and carbohydrates. The drugs are prescribed in long courses; preference is given to drugs containing bile acids.
- Antisecretory agents. Medicines reduce the production of hydrochloric acid, thus eliminating the causes of the formation of a sweetish taste. The most commonly used are proton pump inhibitors, which have minimal side effects and a prolonged effect.
- Antibiotics. Purulent lesions of the oral cavity are treated with antibacterial drugs, which are used both systemically in the form of tablets and locally in the form of ointments and applications to the mucous membrane. To prevent candida infection, antifungal agents are recommended.
Treatment is prescribed by a doctor only after a complete examination and identification of the cause of the sweet taste in the mouth. If you have characteristic symptoms, you may need to consult a specialist doctor.
If there is no pathology, to eliminate the sweetish taste it will be enough to make some changes:
- normalize your diet - exclude fatty foods, smoked foods, confectionery and flour products. Introduce fractional meals, do not overeat under any circumstances, and monitor your weight. Most of the daily diet should consist of plant foods, and for stomach diseases a strict diet is needed;
- It is necessary to maintain oral hygiene, carry out regular sanitation, and, if necessary, use additional rinses or decoctions of medicinal herbs. Traditional medicine recipes can help cope not only with oral hygiene, but also with many diseases of the digestive system. For example, plantain decoction successfully treats exacerbation of gastritis, and tea with strawberry leaves reduces blood sugar levels, which will significantly reduce the sweetness in the mouth;
- treat various viral diseases in a timely manner, do not violate the rest regime, exercise and give up bad habits, which most often cause disruption in the functioning of internal organs;
- It is recommended to eat more greens, and to muffle the unpleasant sweet taste, you can use mint, coffee and citrus fruits;
- The cause is treated with medication, the course of treatment is prescribed by the doctor, depending on the disease. If these are the digestive organs, you need to take medications to eliminate heartburn and belching. For endocrine diseases, treatment is aimed at eliminating hormonal imbalance.
Many diseases are asymptomatic up to a certain stage and make themselves felt already in an advanced state, and a sweet taste in the mouth can become just that early signal of a developing pathology.
Therefore, it is strongly recommended not to self-medicate, but to go to the clinic for examination.
Signs of pathology
So, you are worried about a sweetish taste in your mouth that appears regardless of food intake.
How to understand that it indicates pathology? To do this, you should know the corresponding symptoms. If your body is not tolerant to glucose, you may experience a sour mouth sensation.
Also, the manifestation of this symptom often indicates the development of prediabetes. Secondary signs indicating the development of a pathological process:
- Sudden weight change. The patient may gain significant weight or, conversely, lose weight.
- Frequent and painful urination. During the period of urine discharge, severe discomfort occurs in the urethral canal.
- Copious urine output. It may change color and become darker.
- Constant feeling of hunger. It occurs even if a person loses weight. Hunger does not leave him even after a hearty meal.
- Poor health, malaise.
- Prolonged feeling of thirst.
- Tingling, numbness of the limbs. This symptom occurs due to poor circulation.
- The appearance of white spots before the eyes, significant deterioration of vision.
There are no universal symptoms of pathology. Each specific disease is characterized by the manifestation of individual specific symptoms.
However, we have listed above the symptoms, the manifestation of which in combination with a sugary mouth taste should alert you.
Advice! If your health has worsened, you feel a headache, nausea, and a sweet taste in your mouth, you are probably sick. There is no need to self-medicate. Doctors should help you.
Speaking about why there is a sweetish taste in the mouth, one cannot fail to note that a disease characterized by the manifestation of this specific symptom can be asymptomatic.
In this case, “sugar tongue” is the only indicator indicating pathology.
To understand whether this sign is truly a symptom of the disease, you need to analyze the frequency of its occurrence.
Remember that if a symptom appears in the morning, regardless of the meal, this indicates pathology.
In this case, you need to start treatment as early as possible. This clinical picture probably indicates parkreatitis.
It may also be associated with gastrointestinal dysfunction. If this is the case, then the patient will additionally experience chest burning (heartburn) and a feeling of heaviness in the stomach.
If the functioning of the pancreas has been disrupted, the body's production of insulin slows down.
This process leads to a slow breakdown of glucose, which provokes an increase in blood sugar levels.
This is how diabetes mellitus occurs. If a person has reflux, then he will have an unpleasant bitter taste in his mouth.
But if such a clinical picture indicates pancreatitis, then the patient’s oral cavity will regularly dry out.
Associated symptoms and what they indicate
It is impossible to diagnose a disease based on one symptom.
The presence of accompanying symptoms may indicate different diseases:
Symptoms | What do they point to? |
Taste in the morning | Inflammation of the pancreas and pancreatitis is indicated by a sweet taste in the morning in combination with the following symptoms:
|
Sweetens after eating | The appearance of sweet sensations in the mouth after eating also indicates problems with the bile ducts. |
Constantly sweet in the mouth | A constant taste of sweets that continues for a long time can be the cause of pancreatic dysfunction. Glucose levels rise and this gives a feeling of sweetness. |
Sweet and sour taste of saliva | A sweet and sour taste in the mouth and lips may indicate a latent stage of diabetes. It may also be a predisposition to diabetes. If you have these symptoms, you should consult a doctor:
|
Bittersweet taste | Impaired liver and pancreas functions. The diseases are accompanied by nausea and pain in the hypochondrium. |
Nausea | Most often, nausea and a sweet taste in the mouth indicate problems with the gastrointestinal tract. But if there is a coating on the tongue, this indicates stress. |
The taste appeared during pregnancy | Pregnancy changes the entire functioning of the body. The restructuring can manifest itself with many symptoms. A sweet aftertaste often appears. However, this may not indicate a restructuring, but the appearance of gestational diabetes. The disease can be triggered by several factors:
|
Sweetish taste in the mouth during pregnancy
Expectant mothers are also not immune from various ailments, including pancreatitis and diabetes.
As practice shows, most often, pregnant women's tongue becomes sugary due to the development of gestational diabetes.
This is a dangerous pathology, the treatment of which must be given due attention. However, changes in taste sensations in pregnant women are not always associated with pathology.
During the period of gestation, their body changes. The functions of all internal organ systems can respond to the presence of a fetus in the womb with physiological changes.
Often such a clinical picture becomes a cause of hassle and anxiety. This is not surprising, because the expectant mother cares not only about her own, but also about someone else’s health - her child.
Therefore, sweetness in the mouth can alarm a pregnant woman. The performance of the pancreas decreases, especially in the third trimester.
This happens due to the heavy load on it. If the functioning of the gland in a woman’s body is disrupted, then glucose is broken down poorly.
This leads to a significant concentration of blood sugar. Moreover, the sugar level increases not only in the blood, but also in saliva and urine.
However, gestational diabetes is not a problem for all expectant mothers. Doctors identify a category of women who are more susceptible to this disease.
So, gestational diabetes occurs in women who:
- They are overweight.
- They suffer from pancreatitis.
- Conceived a child late.
- They suffer from polyhydramnios.
- Had a bad experience with a previous fetus.
Gestational diabetes also often occurs in women carrying a large fetus.
The reason for its appearance is excessive load on the pancreas due to the large weight and size of the fetus.
Why should a sweet taste in the mouth be alarming?
Do not think that such a clinical picture will not be a reason for the development of serious medical complications.
If there are pathologies and dysfunction of internal organs, treatment should begin immediately.
We recommend seeking help from a specialist at the first signs of discomfort. This will avoid complications.
Otherwise, the disease may become chronic. If a patient turns to a specialist for medical help late, he will be prescribed more than just systematic treatment.
In this case, it will be necessary not only to relieve the symptoms of the disease, but also to prevent its recurrence.
That is, when going to the hospital late, therapy should be proactive and systematic.
A particular danger to the life of a child is the manifestation of such a symptom as oral sweetness in his mother.
In this case, ignoring it may cause:
- Development of late toxicosis.
- Swelling of the face and body.
- Painful urination.
- Increased pressure.
- The appearance of pathologies of cerebral blood flow.
It turns out that such a clinical picture is indeed fraught with the appearance of serious complications.
Therefore, in order to prevent their occurrence, we recommend going to the hospital at the first signs of illness.
What to do?
So, you regularly experience a sweet taste in your mouth. We recommend making an appointment with an endocrinologist immediately.
Most often, this symptom manifests itself due to a disruption of endocrine function. Therefore, an endocrinologist will help determine the cause of poor health and prescribe appropriate treatment.
If a specialist has determined that sweetness in the mouth is in no way related to gland dysfunction, the patient must be referred to another doctor.
This could be a gastroenterologist or a dentist. Basic tests that need to be taken if such symptoms appear:
- Urinalysis (general).
- Analysis to determine blood sugar levels.
- Biochemical blood test to analyze the performance of the gland.
The patient is also prescribed an ultrasound examination of the abdominal organs. The main indication for ultrasound is a suspicion of dysfunction of the abdominal organs, which could cause the appearance of such a clinical picture.
In rare cases, the patient is prescribed an x-ray, which is done using a contrast agent.
Diagnostics
To determine the etiological factor of the sweet taste in the mouth, a consultation with a gastroenterologist is required, who, after an initial examination, can refer the person to other specialists. First, the doctor collects an anamnesis and examines the oral cavity in detail for purulent processes, then prescribes specific tests and instrumental methods. From a diagnostic point of view, the most important are:
- Blood tests. In a biochemical study, attention is paid to glucose levels; even with a slight increase in sugar, an oral stress test is performed. To determine the cause of a sweetish taste in women, the concentration of estrogen and progesterone is assessed, and the level of hCG is measured. A clinical blood test reveals leukocytosis and increased ESR.
- Gastroscopy. If the unpleasant taste is accompanied by heartburn and chest pain, an endoscopic examination of the upper gastrointestinal tract is informative. The method is necessary to identify inflammatory changes in the mucous membrane, disorders of the contractile function of the lower esophageal sphincter. During endoscopy, a biopsy of pathologically changed areas is performed.
- Sonography. During a targeted ultrasound of the pancreas, the heterogeneity of the structure, the presence of hypoechoic areas, and space-occupying formations are determined. With pancreatitis, swelling and blurred contours of the organ are detected. Women are shown an ultrasound of the pelvic organs; transvaginal ultrasound is used for detailed visualization.
- Neurological examination. If the sweet taste is combined with paresthesia and swallowing disorders, damage to the central nervous system structures must be excluded. A standard examination includes checking pharyngeal and pupillary reflexes and assessing muscle strength and tone. To visualize the brain, an MRI or CT scan with contrast is performed. An EEG is sometimes recommended.
After detecting the symptom in question, it is recommended to consult a therapist or specialists. Among them:
- nutritionist, gastroenterologist;
- dentist, ENT;
- neurologist;
- endocrinologist
The doctor will examine and interview the patient and identify a disease that could lead to the appearance of a constant sweet taste in the mouth. To confirm a preliminary diagnosis, the results of a blood test, urine test and other studies may be needed.
Instrumental diagnostic methods - ultrasound of internal organs, FGS, radiography - help to supplement the obtained clinical picture in order to find out why unpleasant sensations occur.
Treatment measures
Remember that the sooner you seek medical help and begin treatment, the higher the likelihood that there will be no complications.
Important! Timely diagnosis of pathology will help prevent the disease from becoming chronic.
So, if sweetness in the mouth occurs in the morning and a person does not eat food, this is probably due to pathology of the internal organs.
In this case, only a doctor can help the patient. For example, in case of pancreatic dysfunction, the patient will be treated by an endocrinologist.
However, there are often cases when the patient’s test results were within normal limits, but a sweetish taste remained on the tongue.
In this case, the patient should make adjustments to his lifestyle. We recommend:
- Start eating right. It would seem a banal rule, but many do not even suspect how much a person’s well-being depends on his diet. If you are prone to diabetes due to poor breakdown of glucose, then it is recommended to minimize the amount of carbohydrate foods. The ideal option is to abandon it completely. First of all, we advise you to avoid carbonated sweet water and semi-finished meat products, especially those of dubious quality. With these simple adjustments, you can significantly reduce your blood sugar levels and the stress on your gastrointestinal tract.
- Citrus fruits and greens perfectly refresh the oral cavity. Therefore, if you are worried about a sugar bite in your mouth, eat a piece of orange, lemon or parsley.
- To “knock down” an unpleasant taste in your mouth, chew gum. But if you have fillings in your teeth, you should not do this often, because the fillings may deteriorate.
- Maintain good oral hygiene. Not only the health of your gums and teeth, but also the freshness of your breath depends on this. Brush your teeth regularly, preferably twice a day. We also recommend rinsing your mouth after every meal.
If you follow these simple rules, the bad taste in your mouth will quickly disappear. However, if it occurs regularly, do not hesitate to get a medical examination.