Meth Mouth
Jan. 30th, 2003 04:32 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
novapsycheAnother Danger of Drug Abuse: Cavities, Gum Disease
As the number of regular users of the illegal drug methamphetamine has increased, so has a peculiar set of dental problems linked to the drug--aptly named "meth mouth," according to US dentists.
The exact rate of meth mouth is unknown, but dentists who practice in areas where people have regular access to methamphetamine--also known as "crystal meth" and "crank," among other terms--are beginning to see a pattern.
"I have a certain number of patients who are starting to show up with it," said Dr. Eric Curtis, a dentist in private practice in Safford, Arizona, and a spokesman for the Academy of General Dentistry.
And the patients it crops up in most commonly are teenagers, he noted.
Approximately one year ago, Curtis said he began to notice patients with symptoms of meth mouth--specifically, a great deal of tooth decay, gum disease and cracks in the teeth.
He said he first became aware of the existence of meth mouth when a friend called and said her son was found in possession of methamphetamine, and she wanted Curtis to check his teeth.
"It was a surprise to me that a person I knew, a long-time patient, a long-time friend, called me and said 'I need you to screen my son for meth mouth.' And I said, 'what's that?"' Curtis recounted.
In an interview, Curtis explained that meth use could produce the symptoms ascribed to meth mouth because the drug dries out the salivary glands. Saliva acts as a buffer against acidic substances in the mouth, he explained, normally protecting teeth against acidic foods like lemons, acid from the gut or acidic plaque.
Without saliva, these substances can wreck havoc on teeth and gums, Curtis said.
[...] Most medications also dry out the mouth, he said, but methamphetamine "is especially bad this way."
Regular meth users may develop cracks in teeth because the drug can also make people feel anxious or nervous, causing them to clench or grind their teeth, Curtis added.
The dentist said he assembled the symptoms of meth mouth through his own experience with the handful of patients he sees with the condition, and by discussing it with his colleagues.
He added that he does not treat the tooth decay and gum disease associated with meth mouth any differently than he treats the conditions in other patients.
As the number of regular users of the illegal drug methamphetamine has increased, so has a peculiar set of dental problems linked to the drug--aptly named "meth mouth," according to US dentists.
The exact rate of meth mouth is unknown, but dentists who practice in areas where people have regular access to methamphetamine--also known as "crystal meth" and "crank," among other terms--are beginning to see a pattern.
"I have a certain number of patients who are starting to show up with it," said Dr. Eric Curtis, a dentist in private practice in Safford, Arizona, and a spokesman for the Academy of General Dentistry.
And the patients it crops up in most commonly are teenagers, he noted.
Approximately one year ago, Curtis said he began to notice patients with symptoms of meth mouth--specifically, a great deal of tooth decay, gum disease and cracks in the teeth.
He said he first became aware of the existence of meth mouth when a friend called and said her son was found in possession of methamphetamine, and she wanted Curtis to check his teeth.
"It was a surprise to me that a person I knew, a long-time patient, a long-time friend, called me and said 'I need you to screen my son for meth mouth.' And I said, 'what's that?"' Curtis recounted.
In an interview, Curtis explained that meth use could produce the symptoms ascribed to meth mouth because the drug dries out the salivary glands. Saliva acts as a buffer against acidic substances in the mouth, he explained, normally protecting teeth against acidic foods like lemons, acid from the gut or acidic plaque.
Without saliva, these substances can wreck havoc on teeth and gums, Curtis said.
[...] Most medications also dry out the mouth, he said, but methamphetamine "is especially bad this way."
Regular meth users may develop cracks in teeth because the drug can also make people feel anxious or nervous, causing them to clench or grind their teeth, Curtis added.
The dentist said he assembled the symptoms of meth mouth through his own experience with the handful of patients he sees with the condition, and by discussing it with his colleagues.
He added that he does not treat the tooth decay and gum disease associated with meth mouth any differently than he treats the conditions in other patients.
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Date: 2003-01-30 02:44 pm (UTC)