What Causes Ageusia?

Posted on Wed, 9 Nov 2016

Question: What can cause someone to lose the ability to taste? I had an infection in my mouth and the dentist said that it might have changed the properties of the nerve that controls my ability to taste. He said it might be up to 6 months before it returned. It has been 6 months, but the infection did come back. I had to have oral surgery to get it completely cleaned out. Could the time line have started over at that point?

Answered by Dr. Ronald Schubert (1 hour later)

Brief Answer:
loss of taste

Detailed Answer:
Thank your for contacting HCM with your health care concerns

I am sorry to hear that you have lost the sense of taste. This could be due to damage to your taste nerve from the mouth. It maybe also from the infection but it could also just happen. Most of the time we don't know why a person losses their sense of taste. Since you had an infection once this infection resolves completely your taste may come back. I would recommend waiting at least 6 months from the last time you had the infection. So since you had a second infection your time starts all over again. If you don't get the taste back then you should see a neurologist and have additional imaging tests done like a CT scan or MRI.

I hope I answered your question. Please contact us again if you have any additional questions

Note: Consult an experienced Otolaryngologist / ENT Specialist online for further follow up on ear, nose, and throat issues - Book a Call now.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar