I was applying a numbing oral gel to my mouth to help with a painful cancer sore. I added too much so I got some on my tongue. I found that I was now unable to taste anything. This got me wondering, why does this numbing agent cause my tastebuds to lose their taste-sensing abilities? Is taste based on touch/feel? I always figured that taste wasn’t really based on the feel of a food/object but more of a chemically constructed sense (if that makes sense?). Anyhow, if anyone can explain what’s happening, that would be great to know! 🙂
In: Biology
The short answer is that most topical numbing gels can’t tell the difference between different types of sensory nerves.
It’s a nerve, it’s in the skin/surface membrane. It’s gonna get numbed.
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