How to Recover Taste

The tongue detects basic tastes, while smell supplies much of the detail people call flavour. A blocked or inflamed nose can therefore make food seem tasteless. Viral infections such as a common cold or COVID-19 may affect these senses, and some people notice changes that persist after the initial illness, sometimes described as Long COVID.

Dry mouth, smoking, poor oral health, nasal polyps, and some medicines can also contribute. A distorted taste, such as a bitter or metallic flavour, is a different experience from having no taste at all.

Drink enough fluid, clean your teeth and tongue gently, and manage nasal congestion with advice from a pharmacist or clinician. Avoid smoking and strong chemical fumes. Choose safe foods with varied textures and temperatures, and check expiry dates because smell may not warn you about spoiled food.

Smell training may help some people: twice daily, focus carefully on a small set of familiar scents for several months, noticing each aroma rather than sniffing rapidly. Stop if it triggers headache or breathing discomfort. Do not put oils or substances inside your nose.

Arrange an appointment if loss of taste lasts beyond the illness that triggered it, affects nutrition, or comes with nasal blockage, facial pain, mouth sores, or medication changes. Seek urgent help for sudden neurological symptoms, difficulty breathing, confusion, or a severe headache with a stiff neck. If you cannot smell smoke or spoiled food, add practical safety measures at home.

Ask whether your nose, mouth, medicines, or a recent infection could explain the change, whether testing is appropriate, and how to perform smell training safely. Share the start date, whether smell changed too, recent infections, smoking, dental symptoms, and all medicines or supplements.