system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
Why does spicy food make hot seem hotter and mint make cold seem colder?

For example, I'm eating a big spicy bowl of curry.  15 min into my meal, the bowl has physically cooled but even the touch of it burns.  

Or say I'm having an altoid and decide to drink some water.  Now in this case a water fountain is unbearably cold, and I have to sip from it slowly.  

Is it the same thing happening in both cases? Have the nerves in my mouth become super sensitive?
gpt
The reason mint seems cold is because of the chemical called Menthol. Menthol makes the nerve receptors in your mouth much more sensitive to cold, so that's why it makes your mouth feel cold. Menthol also has topical, local anaestheic (numbing) properties. Often times when you're at the dentist about to get a numbing shot, they'll put some minty gel (which has menthol) on the area inside your mouth where you'll get the shot to make the needle hurt less.