What did this mouthwash do to my taste buds?

March 11, 2007 3:57 PM

I used Crest Pro Health alcohol-free mouthwash about an hour and a half ago. Now I'm eating McDonald's and I cannot taste the salt on the fries -- in fact, I made my roommate eat some of them to make sure I was not crazy, as they tasted sweet to me, like they'd been honey-roasted. Furthermore, the cheese on my ketchup-free burger tastes weirdly like ketchup. What the heck did that mouthwash do to my taste buds, and is there anything I can do to undo it quickly? I put a pinch of salt directly on my tongue, and it tastes just like sugar!
posted by logovisual to Health & Fitness (14 answers total)

Well, I don't know what to tell you about reversing this effect, but when I worked in dental offices the doctors and hygienists would make sure to tell everyone to use it before going to bed. No drinking or eating after using it. The label says 1/2 hour, but they all thought longer was better.
posted by bilabial at 4:05 PM on March 11, 2007

Yeah, I tried some of that and it ruined my sense of taste for half a day. Rinsing with lots of water didn't help. I'm going back to the alcoholic stuff!
posted by moonmilk at 4:08 PM on March 11, 2007

try drinking milk or eating cheese to see if that will help.
good luck, yucko!
taff
with a sympathy tongue from colgate total at the moment.....
posted by taff at 4:17 PM on March 11, 2007

Best answer: previous discussion wrt Crest Pro Health...
posted by pineapple at 4:20 PM on March 11, 2007

Best answer: It sounds like Miraculin to me (no I'm not making that up). If that's what it is (or similar) it should go away within a day or two (and obviously if it doesn't then THAT would be the time to get seriously worried).

Some more commentary, since that article doesn't have the comments I remember from when I first heard about it: It only works one way (i.e. eating sugar won't taste salty). You can still burn your mouth with super sour things, even though they will taste sweet (to the extent that you have sores on your mouth the next morning).
posted by anaelith at 4:53 PM on March 11, 2007 [1 favorite]

That stuff! I think that's the mouthwash my boyfriend has at his place that makes everything taste metallic and weird to me. Dunno what to say except don't use it if you want things to taste good...
posted by limeonaire at 5:52 PM on March 11, 2007

If there's any truth to the "crazy spicing" or "flavorless calories" theories of the Shangri-La diet, this stuff may be the key to some serious weight loss!

Svelte by summertime, and your teeth their pearly whitest...
posted by bink at 6:14 PM on March 11, 2007

I was just thinking the same thing, bink.
posted by kindall at 7:00 PM on March 11, 2007

I bought that stuff not realizing it was alcohol free. I sometimes taste it hours later. I should probably pour it in the toilet.
posted by Frank Grimes at 7:05 PM on March 11, 2007

Keep the Crest and take this opportunity to wean yourself off of McD's. ;)
posted by tdischino at 8:31 AM on March 12, 2007

Somewhat unrelated, but that stuff made my SO's teeth brown and my dentist tells everyone to stay away from it. I would consider finding a new rinse.
posted by ml98tu at 8:41 AM on March 12, 2007

yeah, that stuff sucks. try closys if you want something alcohol-free that doesn't dye your teeth & make everything taste wierd.
posted by aquanaut at 8:01 PM on March 12, 2007

I tried it, but I didn't eat anything afterwards. But it turned my teeth and tounge blue. Not appealing if you ask me!
posted by slc228 at 3:03 PM on March 13, 2007

I had to look this thread up again. I bought some of this by mistake; the first two times I used it nothing happened, but then for some reason the third time screwed up my taste for half a day. I threw the rest of the bottle in the trash.
posted by Tuwa at 9:09 PM on August 13, 2007