Question: I recently had oral surgery (twice in the past six months), and since then, I have lost my sense of taste. I don't enjoy eating, and cooking for my family is getting harder and harder to do. What caused this? Did the surgery have anything to do with my taste deficiency?
Dr. Hibberd's Answer:
An altered taste or loss of taste is a rare complication after some oral surgeries. There are reported cases similar to yours where nerve damage resulted in your current problem. Loss of taste has been observed in removal of impacted molars, since nerves get damaged due to the force that has to be applied while removing them. Another possible cause is damage to nerves from using a local anesthetic.
Zinc supplements are supposed to help to regenerate taste buds. Please go back to your dental surgeon and discuss this matter in detail before you start any medication.