Sour Taste in Mouth

Everyone wakes up in the morning with a sour taste in their mouth. The main cause of sour taste in mouth is uncontrollable growth of bacteria at the back of tongue. However, there may be several other reasons why a person experiences a sour taste in his mouth. Some of these causes are of temporary nature while others may be indicative of some serious undiagnosed disorder. Given below are some common causes of this condition.

Anaerobic bacteria are responsible for the sulfur like smell in the mouth. Since, these bacteria breed at the back of your tongue, it is obvious that you experience a sour taste in mouth. During the day, the functioning of these bacteria is disrupted by the saliva. Saliva is responsible for breaking down the bacteria.

However, at night, the production of saliva drops drastically, which leads to uncontrollable growth of bacteria. Thus, a person experiences bad breath and a sour taste in his mouth. Also, the bacteria accumulate and result in the coating which a person can feel, taste and smell.

Post nasal drip is another major cause of sour taste in your mouth. The nasal mucus is rich in protein and provides good food for the bacteria. As a result, the bacteria multiply largely and accumulate at the back of your tongue, which leads to sour taste in your mouth. This is the reason why, a person is most prone to sour taste in his mouth, when he suffers from sinus infection.

Heartburn is yet another cause of sour or bitter taste in mouth. The esophagus relaxes while digestion, which causes the stomach acid and undigested food particles to wash back in your throat. This results in sour taste in the mouth.

An infected tooth can also be instrumental in causing sour taste in your mouth. The fluid or pus formed in an infection causes the bacteria to thrive and grow. This ultimately results in sour taste in mouth. A thorough dental check up can reveal the state of infected tooth, if any.

This is a condition in which decayed food particles accumulate in the pouch of esophagus. If a person lies down after eating, then these particles fall out from the pouch and revert in the throat, resulting in sour taste.

This condition is due to the misinterpretation of olfactory sense by the nerves. It is a neurological disorder in which the nerves interpret any smell as offensive, when it is not the case in reality. This may lead to an illusion of sour taste in your mouth. Epileptic seizures are often preceded by the sour taste in patient's mouth. This is a serious condition and the person should immediately consult a physician, if the sour taste persists for long.

Certain vitamin deficiencies, gum diseases, pregnancy etc., can also lead to sour taste in your mouth. Similarly, certain drugs are also capable of inducing sour or metallic taste in mouth. However, sour taste due to medications is of temporary nature and you can expect your taste buds to function properly in short time.

Sour taste, sometimes is attributed to the effect of certain foodstuffs on taste buds. Taste buds can only function properly when there is adequate water to dissolve the food items.

Hence, a dry mouth may hamper your gustatory sense, resulting in strange taste in mouth. Chronic illnesses like diabetes or respiratory disorders also impair your gustatory and olfactory senses.

Sour taste in one's mouth can be prevented by controlling the growth of bacteria. This can be done by keeping your mouth clean all the time and scraping off the bacterial scum with the help of a tongue scraper. If the cause of sour taste in your mouth is other than bacterial overgrowth, then it is wise to take an opinion of a qualified physician.

Sour taste in mouth can be a symptom of some major disorder. Hence, if the sour taste in your mouth persists in spite of taking all the hygiene measures, there is a need to diagnose the problem and treat the underlying disorder.