Cold water sour taste?

Question

Recently I underwent a wisdom tooth extraction, and while there is still numbness I have observed something peculiar. If I drink cold water, it tastes sour, however the same effect is not observed with room temperature water or hotter. What is causing this effect?

Answer 1

Hi! The issue with this can be attributed to a couple of things... mostly that cold sensation is sent via a different set of nerves fibers than room temperature or warm. When you undergo wisdom tooth surgery, it is traumatic in the sense that your nerves can be effected by the shock of removal. It can impact how they handle specific tastes. It is common after dental surgeries to have altered taste. I had a surgery a couple months ago, and my I currently still can't taste some specific tastes (it was more invasive than wisdom teeth extractions). Hope that helps.