It is quite amazing to know why certain food that you eat, tastes sweet, sour or bitter. Taste buds play an important role in helping you to enjoy many flavors of food. There are thousands of tiny taste buds, to be precise almost 10000 taste buds, on the surface of the tongue.
You can see tiny bumps on the surface of your tongue, known as papilla or taste buds when you stick out your tongue in front of a mirror. Each taste bud contains microscopic receptor cells. They directly transmit message to the brain through finely integrated network of sensory nerves. Your brain then tells you about the flavor of food you are eating. Normally females have more taste buds than men.
When you say infected taste buds, it means the person who is suffering from the condition loses the ability to differentiate between different tastes.
What Causes Infected Taste Buds?
Sometime or the other, every person must have had suffered from burned tongue or sore tongue after eating something very hot or spicy. Inability to recognize the taste for a day or two after such event is common. Infected or inflamed taste buds due to minor ailments usually recuperate fast. However there are many other conditions that may lead to severe infected taste buds on the tongue. Following are few important conditions.
- Tobacco chewing and cigarette smoking as well as toxins of insecticides can cause infected taste buds lasting for days.
- Severe vitamin B1, B6, B12 and folic acid deficiency can lead to infected and inflammation of taste buds.
- Chewing certain herbs or eating very hot and spicy food can scald your tongue.
- Consuming antibiotics for long period.
- Mouth ulcers or ulcers on tongue can be a factor for infected taste buds due to presence of many bacteria in the oral cavity.
- Oral thrush.
- Damage or cut on the tongue due to cross bite.
- Eating too much of acidic food in daily meals. Even eating too much of lemons, grapefruit, condiments.
- Systemic disorders such as diabetes, thyroid problems etc.
- Gastric and esophagus inflammation that leads to hyperacidity.
Taste Bud Infection Symptoms
- Bad taste in mouth.
- Burning and tingling sensation on the tongue.
- Appearance of white sores on tongue.
- Loss of taste. This may lead to gradual dislike for food.
- Weight loss as a person may skip meals due to loss of taste and dislike for food.
- The area of tongue that has been scalded after eating or drinking too hot feels numb.
- Sensation as if the tongue is enlarged and swollen.
- Ulcers on tongue and oral cavity. This may lead to decreased food intake due to pain.
Home Remedies For Infection Of Taste Buds
Usually infected taste buds due to minor ailment heal easily within few days, and the taste sensation is restored. Certain factors can aid in faster improvement of the condition.
- Eat diet rich in vitamins and minerals. Eating green leafy vegetables, fruits, whole grains and pulses regularly in your diet will help in restoring vitamins and minerals.
- To get rid of infected taste buds promptly, quit tobacco. Avoid alcohol, caffeine as they can inflame and worsen the condition.
- Wipe the tongue surface with glycerin borax solution.
- Rinsing the mouth with salt water helps in relieving the symptoms.
- Gargling with few drops of tea tree oil mixed in water is helpful in treating the infected taste buds when the cause is fungus infection.
- Drink butter milk at least two times in a day to get rid of thrush and fungus infection.
- Supplementary vitamin B complex may be necessary when the cause is vitamin deficiency.