Metallic Taste in Mouth: Causes and When to Worry

Blood contains iron, and even a tiny amount from inflamed gums gives the mouth a coin-like taste. You may not see the blood. Gums that are red, puffy or tender when you brush are often leaking enough to taste.

Gum bleeding is usually plaque-related and reversible with proper cleaning, though it can also be a sign of established gum disease. Our page on bleeding gums explains the causes and what treatment involves, and the bad breath page covers why gum pockets also affect smell.

Other mouth causes include a new filling or crown, a loosening restoration, a mouth ulcer, and a sore after a tooth extraction. These usually settle as the area heals.

Many tablets leave a metallic taste, because some of the medicine is released into saliva. Iron, zinc and multivitamin supplements, some antibiotics, and some blood pressure, heart and diabetes tablets are well-known examples. Taking a supplement on an empty stomach often makes the taste stronger.

Do not stop a prescribed medicine on your own because of a taste. Ask the doctor who prescribed it or a pharmacist, who may suggest a different timing or an alternative.

Pregnancy changes the sense of taste, and a metallic taste is a recognised early symptom. It usually fades later in pregnancy. Gums are more likely to bleed in pregnancy too, so a dental check is sensible, and our guide on dental treatment during pregnancy explains what is safe.

Smell and taste are closely linked. A cold, sinus infection, allergy or post-nasal drip can distort both, and a metallic or odd taste is a common result. It tends to clear as the illness does.

Dry mouth, smoking, tobacco and some reflux can also leave a metal taste. Occasionally, exposure to metals at work, certain health conditions or drinking from old metal vessels or untreated well water is involved. Long-lasting metallic taste with no clear explanation deserves a doctor's attention, who can look at medicines, kidney and liver health and other causes.

If you suspect the taste comes from the mouth, our guide on strange tastes in the mouth covers the wider list of taste changes and when a sudden change is urgent.

Brush the teeth and gum line gently twice a day, clean between the teeth once a day, and clean the tongue. Sip water, and try sugar-free gum or a sour candy to stimulate saliva. Some people find that plastic cutlery, cold foods or lemon-flavoured drinks reduce the taste.

If the taste is linked to a gum problem, bleeding that does not settle within a couple of weeks of better cleaning needs a dentist, who can remove the hardened deposits you cannot brush away. If you have a bitter rather than metallic taste, our guide on bitter taste in the mouth may fit better.