In today’s world, one of the biggest epidemics known to man is the drug addiction. 72,000 deaths, in just America alone, were caused by addictions to drugs or alcohol. This is a very serious problem. Knowing this, using drugs also affects every part of the human anatomy, including someone’s dental. Let’s begin to explore how using drugs can be bad for the health of one’s teeth.
Cotton Mouth
“Cotton Mouth” is the term used to describe the effect of having a dry mouth after using certain drugs. The question may arise, what does dry mouth have to do with teeth? Dry mouth happens when the normal flow of saliva to the mouth is reduced, which increases the risk of tooth decay in a person’s mouth significantly. The reason behind this is that saliva reduces the population of bacteria in the mouth, neutralizes decay causing acid, and is crucial for the tooth’s repairing of enamel process. Most drugs used today cause dry mouth.
Opiates
Of all the drugs used today, the opioid epidemic is by far the worst. Here is a bullet list of some of the consequences of using opioids:
- Tooth loss, or tooth extractions
- Tooth decay
- Salivary hypofunction
- Burning mouth
- Taste impairment
- Eating difficulties
- Gingivitis
These are a just a few of the dangerous aftermath of using opiates on someone’s teeth. In addition, opiate users tend to drift more toward sweet foods for the cravings, and this also increases the probability of tooth decay. This drug also causes “cotton mouth”. For additional information check out NCBI.
Stimulants: Meth and Cocaine
Also, on the list of very bad for teeth are the drugs meth, cocaine, and related stimulants. Using any one of these drugs has very bad effects on dental hygiene. For one cocaine is very acidic. So when this acid comes in contact with teeth it breaks down the enamel of the tooth. The most common cocaine used is crack cocaine. What makes crack cocaine equally as harmful is the fact that it is absorbed in the gums of the mouth, which leads to very nasty mouth sores. Cocaine also cause a malfunction of the jaw which leads to individuals grinding their teeth. Amphetamines, on the other hand, also cause users to grind their teeth, which leads to teeth being cracked. Also, these stimulants cause dehydration, which isn’t good for a tooth’s enamel. The grinding not only causes teeth to be cracked, but also makes the tooth very sensitive. This drug also causes “cotton mouth”.
Marijuana
Just smoking weed? Pot can also be very harmful for someone’s teeth. Smoking weed can lead to someone developing cancer in their mouth. This drug also causes “cotton mouth”, which can cause the enamel of the teeth to degrade. Ultimately, pot has the potential to more harm than good in the wrong.
Today’s society will have someone to believe that drugs are a way of life. And for some people that may be true. All in all, understanding the negative affects drugs can have on someone’s health should make anyone think twice before going down a path doomed to fail. If someone has already started, they may want to look into day night addiction treatment.