Salty Taste in Mouth and Lips

While most of us experience a slight salty taste in our mouths once in a while, some people experience times when their mouths feel as if it has been stuffed with a lot of salt. This salty taste can prevail for a week, a month, or even a few months. While this condition is not a life-threatening one, it is a truly unpleasant and awful feeling. It even disrupts one's peace of mind. For some folks, the condition even prevents them from enjoying a good meal or even having a good night's rest.

Before we head into the different causative factors, it is important to note that this condition is not associated with the nose and is solely associated with the mouth. This problem of saltiness in the mouth originates from the mouth and not from the nose.

Inadequate consumption of fluids results in alteration of the chemical composition of the saliva. The altered composition imparts a salty taste to the saliva. This is especially seen in people taking diuretics for weight loss, wherein their body loses excess amounts of fluids in the form of urine, far more than required. This results in low levels of fluids in the body and conduces to dehydration.

One's taste buds can be affected by radiotherapy or some cancer drugs. Since the taste buds get affected, one may experience an abnormal taste in the mouth. Drugs like Vincristine, Cisplatin, Methotrexate, etc., are seen to conduce to saltiness issues in people.

Post nasal drips caused by sinus infections, allergies, or just excessive mucus production in the throat, results in mucus accumulation in the back of the nose and throat. When the mucus drains down to the mouth, it causes a salty taste in the mouth.

The salivary glands present under the jaw are responsible for saliva production. When these salivary glands get infected by a salivary gland disease such as Sjogren's syndrome or bacterial infection, sialadenitis, the chemical composition of saliva gets altered and causes you to experience saltiness in the mouth and lips.

Poor dental care and dental hygiene can result in deposition of plaque on the teeth, which form a perfect rostrum for germs to thrive in. These germs affect the teeth and gums and conduce to bacterial infection in the mouth, which can result in salty taste in the mouth.

Some other medical conditions such as epilepsy, brain tumor, nutritional deficiency, burning mouth syndrome, endocrine, and neurological disorders are seen to cause this condition. Moreover, constant salty taste in the mouth can also occur due to leakage of the cerebrospinal fluid.

The treatment for salty taste in mouth will differ from one person to another, depending on the underlying cause triggering the saltiness.

Increasing the amount of fluid intake is important to get rid of the salty taste caused by dehydration. One should drink a lot of water and juices and keep one's body hydrated. It is also important to refrain from consuming too many diuretic foods and beverages such as tea, coffee, soda drinks, orange juice, tomato soup, alcohol, etc., which will increase urine production and release more fluids from the body.

If certain medications are behind this saltiness, then the doctor will prescribe alternative medications that will not cause the same problem.

If a bacterial infection is the underlying cause for the salty taste, one needs to go to a dentist and have the infection treated. Once the infection subsides, the salty taste will also disappear. However, it is important to continue to maintain good oral habits. Brushing twice a day, rinsing one's mouth with mouthwash, and regular visits to the dentist will also help maintain overall dental health.

It is important to consult your doctor if the salty taste persists or aggravates after some time. The doctor will be able to diagnose the true underlying cause of the condition.

Disclaimer: This Story is for informative purposes only, and should not be used as a replacement for expert medical advice.