Home Care:

Follow prescribed therapy, which may include a change or changes to the diet. For taste problems due to the common cold or flu, normal taste should return when the illness passes. For smokers, stop smoking.

Call your health care provider if:

Make an appointment with your doctor if your taste problems do not go away, or if abnormal tastes occur with other symptoms.

What to expect at your health care provider's office:

The doctor will perform a physical examination and ask questions, including:

• Do all foods and drinks taste the same?
• Do you smoke?
• Does this change in taste affect the ability to eat normally?
• Have you noticed any problems with your sense of smell?
• Have you recently changed toothpaste or mouthwash?
• How long has the taste problem lasted?
• Have you been sick or injured recently?
• What medicines do you take?
• What other symptoms do you have? (For example, appetite loss or breathing problems?)
• When is the last time you went to the dentist?

If the taste problem is due to allergies or sinusitis, the doctor may give you medicine to relieve the stuffy nose. If a medicine you are taking is to blame, your doctor may recommend that you change your dose or switch to a different drug.

A CT scan may be done to look at the sinuses or the part of the brain that controls the sense of smell.