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Whether you believe it or not, most street drugs are considered to be illegal for a good reason. Aside from being extremely addictive, they are also pretty bad for your overall health.
For example, you may notice people, who are suffering from drug addiction, tend to have bad teeth and foul breath altogether.
Why?
Well, drugs can lead to having a dry mouth. It, in turn, reduces the saliva production of your body and, therefore, prevents it from naturally cleaning your teeth.
Besides, stimulant drugs like cocaine, meth, and ecstasy will prompt you to grind or clench your teeth. It can weaken your jaw to some extent and cause pain, even when you are not consuming the aforementioned substances.
In severe cases, your teeth may break as well, especially when you’re clenching them.
Many people, who consume drugs, tend to smoke as well. It can make the aforesaid problems even more and cause gum infections too.
In this article, we will share information regarding some of the common drugs that may damage your teeth. Aside from this, we will also explain how they are affecting your mouth. Make sure to read our article till the end to find out more about it.
Drugs And Dental Health – The Connection
Substance abuse is, in essence, the no. 1 enemy of the deterioration of your teeth. If you don’t take care of your habits as soon as possible, you may end up losing all of your teeth prematurely. Keep reading to find out how streets drugs affect your mouth from within.
Also, if you want to take care of your drug addiction-related issue, make sure to visit the Pinnacle Recovery homepage. It will help you relate to your condition and enable you to find out the possible treatment procedures for you.
Methamphetamine
Also known as meth, methamphetamine, in essence, affects your mouth by making it dry and reducing the overall saliva production. People even use the term “meth mouth” to describe the condition of a badly-damaged and stained mouth.
Why does it happen, though?
Well, to begin with, meth is acidic in nature. Therefore, if you consume it regularly, it can cause acid reflux and vomiting. If your teeth have to go through the same continuously, the issue of decaying will begin after a while.
Besides, after taking meth, you will start craving sweets and soda as well. None of these are healthy for your teeth’s health.
Meth can damage your teeth within a short amount of time and lead to the decaying of the organ. Having a smelly mouth is also a common side effect of this addiction.
Heroin
Unlike meth, heroin is usually taken by injecting through one’s vein. However, it causes a similar effect on your teeth, just like the last option.
For instance, it can lead to gum disease and rotten teeth if you are using the drug for a prolonged period. Aside from this, you may also end up losing your teeth due to clenching.
However, there’s a hitch.
Heroin, in essence, is a pain-killing drug. Therefore, it may prompt you to ignore the pain of losing your teeth or gum damage altogether.
Marijuana
Unlike the previously-mentioned drugs, marijuana can be a little bit beneficial for your health. However, if you didn’t know, it consists of a considerable amount of carcinogens within it. Therefore, if you smoke the same for a prolonged period, it may cause mouth cancer.
Besides, if you smoke cannabis too often, it can also cause a disorder known as cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome. If you are suffering from the same, it can lead to vomiting or nausea when you are not consuming the drug.
In addition, marijuana can also cause acid reflux, which may affect your esophagus and teeth to a massive extent.
Cocaine
Last yet not least, cocaine can also affect your mouth and teeth – and, pretty extensively at that. However, the damage will depend on how you are taking it.
For example, if you are snorting cocaine, it will damage the cells and tissues residing within your nose. Hence, in case you intake cocaine regularly in this manner, it might make a hole in that place and cause eating or breathing difficulty.
Besides, like meth, cocaine is pretty acidic as well. Therefore, if you smoke it or put the powdered version of the same in your mouth, the acids begin coating your teeth. If you keep taking the same for some more time, it can break down the enamel as well.
Finally, consuming cocaine for a prolonged period can also lead to tooth decay and gum disease. Getting mouth sores will also be a possibility in this form of drug addiction.
Frequently Asked Questions – FAQs
In this section, we are going to address some of your concerns in the question format. The answers are going to be a little crisp and to the point.
So, make sure to focus on it as closely as possible.
What Drugs Cause Teeth To Turn Black?
Antihistamine, in essence, is primarily known for causing teeth discoloration in both men and women. However, in some cases, various amalgam restorative drugs can also prompt this issue in people.
Why Do Dentists Ask If You Smoke?
Although drugs aren’t healthy enough for your health, they alone don’t do enough damage initially. Nonetheless, if you also smoke alongside the same, the progression of the addiction’s effect will increase even more.
How Does Drug Abuse Affect Your Oral Health?
Drug consumption can affect your oral health by drying out your mouth and causing mouth sores altogether. You may also experience mouth ulcers during the initial period of your addiction.
The Bottom Line
So, now, we will be concluding our article at this point. If you still have any queries regarding the same, make sure to ask us in the comment section below. We will try our best to help you out as much as possible.
However, even if we answer, we will still ask you to visit a doctor to take care of your addiction-related problems efficiently. Otherwise, it will be impossible for you to tackle everything all alone.
