Bad Taste in Mouth

[jmca]

My sister has recently been forced to use a PEG for all nutrition. She is struggling with dry mouth and a bad taste in her mouth. I found some great suggestions for the dry mouth which we are pursuing (Biotene gel and Oasis moisturizing spray) but have had no luck regarding the taste issue. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

[brooksea]

Could she possibly have a yeast infection in her mouth? My husband is constantly plagued with this problem and complains of a bad taste in his mouth also. He was prescribed fluconazole several times to treat the infection, but he never feels it completely goes away.

For a short term fix, you might try those breath strips that melt on the tongue.

[druithleigh]

Originally Posted by jmca

My sister has recently been forced to use a PEG for all nutrition. She is struggling with dry mouth and a bad taste in her mouth. I found some great suggestions for the dry mouth which we are pursuing (Biotene gel and Oasis moisturizing spray) but have had no luck regarding the taste issue. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

My mother had the same problem and we couldn't track down the cause but after a few months it went away. we tried all kinds of things and finally settled on Dum Dum lolipops because they're small so she didn't have to open her mouth too much (which was difficult) and they are inexpensive, though after a few months the bad taste went away. I wonder if it was from lack of stimulus to the taste buds? For dry mouth we used Biotene mouth rinse in conjunction with oral mouth swabs. If she's taking medications to control secretions you could have her dosage checked, maybe it's too high.

[Atsugi]

When we don't have good control over our tongue and mouth, and we're not brushing our own teeth, a lot of tiny stuff gets left in there and grows bacteria and mold. There can be old bits of sugar and medications still in there.

Brushing a PALS teeth really doesn't work well.

So at some point, we have to consider a paralyzed person's mouth to be just a hole with old garbage in it. Get a lighted magnifying glass and a tiny brush and clean it out (carefully) really good, rinse carefully with a wet cotton swab, and do it daily. You're a dental hygienist now, except that your patient can't tolerate drops of water.