Taste after chemotherapy and radiotherapy to the jaw

Both radiotherapy and chemotherapy can cause taste changes. Usually, your sense of taste begins to come back to normal within a few weeks at most of finishing chemotherapy.

Radiotherapy to the mouth area causes loss of taste for longer. The taste buds are actually damaged by the radiation. They need time to recover. So it can take up to a year for your sense of taste to return.

You are probably also having problems with a dry mouth which can interfere with your ability to enjoy and taste your food. If so, ask your doctor for artificial saliva lozenges or spray. This can help to keep your mouth healthy and feel more comfortable. Dry mouth usually gets better over the months following your treatment, but unfortunately sometimes it is permanent.

There are now several detailed CancerHelp UK sections on head and neck cancer, including cancer of the mouth. There is also more about side effects of radiotherapy to the head and neck area in the radiotherapy side effects section of CancerHelp UK.