Contents:
- Medical Video: Natural Ways to Relieve a Salty Mouth | Doctors Health Press
- What are the causes of salty tongue?
- 1. Dry mouth
- 2. Dehydration
- 3. Bleeding gums
- 4. Oral infections
- 5. Post-nasal drip
- 6. Gastric acid reflux
- 7. Lack of nutrition
- 8. Sjogren's Syndrome
Medical Video: Natural Ways to Relieve a Salty Mouth | Doctors Health Press
After eating salty food, your tongue will usually taste salty for a while because there are still remnants of salt left in the mouth. However, if this happens long enough, whether it's waking up or even when you're not eating salty food, this can be a sign of a health problem. Before seeing a doctor, let's find out the cause of the salty tongue below.
What are the causes of salty tongue?
Experiencing salty tongue does make the sensation in the mouth become unpleasant. Even though you have eaten sweets or any food to neutralize the taste on your tongue, this disorder sometimes stays and never goes away.
The following are various causes of salty tongue that you might experience, including:
1. Dry mouth
People who experience dry mouth problems will feel like there are cotton balls in their mouth that taste salty. This mouth disorder is often experienced by active smokers or is a side effect of certain drugs.
Salted tongue due to dry mouth is usually followed by other symptoms, namely:
- Sticky sensation in the mouth
- Bad breath
- Sore throat
- Hoarseness
The problem of the tongue feels salty because dry mouth can actually be overcome easily. Make sure you meet your body fluids needs of at least eight glasses per day and avoid salty foods for a while. You can also relieve symptoms by chewing fresh gum to provoke saliva production. That way, the mouth will feel moist and reduce the sensation of salty tongue.
2. Dehydration
Dehydration is one of the causes of salty tongue and dry mouth. When the body lacks fluids, salt levels and water in the body become unbalanced, causing saliva to feel saltier. Symptoms of dehydration are usually followed by:
- Excessive thirst
- Rarely urinate
- The urine color tends to be dark or cloudy
- Fatigue
- Dizzy
The best way to deal with dehydration is to increase drinking at least eight glasses of water per day. If your activity tends to be dense or sick, the "portion" of the water can be multiplied as needed.
3. Bleeding gums
The appearance of a salty tongue or mouth feels metallic sensation can be a sign that you are experiencing bleeding gums. This generally happens after you eat foods that are sharp like chips or brush your teeth too hard to cause the gums to bleed.
4. Oral infections
Bleeding gums that are not treated immediately can trigger an infection called periodontitis. The symptoms of this periodontitis include:
- Salted tongue
- Bad breath
- Dislodged teeth
- Abscess on the gums
- Pus builds up in the teeth
This oral infection is actually not dangerous as long as you take quick steps to treat it. But on the contrary, infections that are left increasingly severe can damage the teeth and trigger complications of gum disease.
5. Post-nasal drip
Post-nasal drip occurs when too much mucus is produced so the mucus sensation swallows in the back of the throat. When mucus mixes with saliva in the mouth, this is what causes salty taste on the tongue. You will also experience a blocked nose, runny nose, and difficulty breathing because of it.
To deal with salty tongue due to post-nasal drip, immediately drink plenty of water and take flu medicine containing antihistamines. You can also use a nasal spray to deal with congestion due to post-nasal drip. If the symptoms don't heal, consult your doctor for further treatment.
6. Gastric acid reflux
In addition to causing the stomach to feel sore, rising stomach acid can also cause the tongue to taste salty. However, not all cases of salty tongue will directly lead to gastric acid reflux. This is usually followed by:
- Great pain in the pit of the stomach
- The chest feels hot
- Nausea
- Gag
- Coughing constantly
- Hoarseness
- The weight dropped dramatically
If not treated immediately, rising stomach acid can lead to complications of diseases such as GERD, Barrett esophagus or pre-cancerous conditions in the esophagus, to throat cancer. Therefore, immediately change your lifestyle to be healthier, take ulcer medicine, or certain operations to treat this disease.
7. Lack of nutrition
If the tongue feels salty suddenly, you may experience severe malnutrition. Usually, your face will look pale, your heart beating fast, fatigue, and the most severe numbness in the legs and arms.
In fact, this can be overcome by meeting certain nutritional needs that cause you to be malnourished. For example, if you experience vitamin B12 deficiency, you are encouraged to eat more tofu, tempeh, eggs, shitake mushrooms, seaweed, and various other sources of vitamin B12.
Likewise, if you experience vitamin C deficiency, overcome by increasing eating oranges, guava, chili, strawberries, and other sources of vitamin C.
8. Sjogren's Syndrome
Sjogren's syndrome occurs when your body's immune system attacks all glands that produce fluids, including salivary glands and tear glands. As a result, saliva production is inhibited and causes the mouth to feel salty and dry eyes.
This condition does not come alone, because it is usually followed by other autoimmune diseases such as lupus, rheumatism, to multiple sclerosis. Besides being able to overcome by drinking lots of water, the doctor may prescribe certain medicines to reduce symptoms.
