I’ve had swollen tonsils for a couple of days and have a bitter taste on my tongue all the time. When I eat food it goes away and then it’s back as soon as I finish eating. I don’t know if it’s from the tonsils, from acid reflux, or a broken tooth?
– Dan from Oklahoma

Dan,
There are many reasons you may have a bitter taste in your mouth. Tonsillitis, acid reflux, and a broken tooth that’s decayed will give you this. It does sound like swollen tonsils are the issue, especially if you have been diagnosed with Tonsillitis.

The main symptom of Tonsillitis is a sore throat but you can also have bad breath, a bad taste in the mouth, a fever, runny nose, headache or you may have trouble swallowing. You should know that symptoms may vary from person to person. An infection of the tonsils may be caused by either a bacteria or virus which causes white spots or pockets of pus to develop on the tonsils. When this occurs, it generally causes a bad taste in the mouth.

Either one of these types of infections is highly contagious and may spread to others through drinking the same glass, talking or coughing. If you believe you have Tonsillitis and haven’t been diagnosed, do see your doctor for a throat culture. If you have Tonsillitis, you will probably receive an antibiotic which will clear up the infection and in turn will alleviate the bad taste in your mouth.

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