Why Does Meth Destroy Teeth?

Exploring How Meth Abuse Leads to Dental Decay

Meth mouth is a common issue that faces people struggling with substance abuse day in and day out. Your dental health can really take a nosedive as you struggle with addiction. Why does meth destroy teeth and gums?

If you know the answer to this question, you might be able to halt severe tooth decay at an early stage and save your teeth.

Meth users will struggle with tooth decay and gum disease because of a lack of oral hygiene, including brushing and flossing. This puts stress on the teeth as bacteria build-up. Combined with less saliva, an increase in cravings for sugary drinks and foods, and teeth grinding, teeth are subject to stress. There are also a lot of harsh chemicals in meth.

Icarus Behavioral Health in Nevada can help you find comprehensive treatment for meth mouth and put you on the track to addiction recovery. Keep reading to learn more about how meth impacts tooth loss.

Meth Mouth: Why Does This Drug Cause Severe Tooth Decay and Gum Disease?

Methamphetamine abuse can lead to interpersonal problems, financial difficulties, and health issues. But it is perhaps most well-known for the chaos and havoc it wreaks on your mouth. Meth mouth is characterized by severe tooth decay and gum disease. It often leads to tooth damage, where teeth crack or fall out.

Why does meth mouth happen in drug users, and how can you prevent it?

Poor Oral Hygiene Decreases Dental Health

The first reason tooth decay occurs is that you aren’t focused on solid oral hygiene. Instead of daily tasks like brushing or flossing, you may go days or even weeks without thinking about it. This issue means plaque and bacteria can build up in the mouth, eating away tooth enamel.

By the time most people notice the impact of poor oral hygiene, cavities are often advanced and may not be able to be filled. You can lose the tooth altogether when you’re preoccupied with using meth over basic necessities like brushing your teeth.

Unfortunately, teeth aren’t the only thing to suffer with poor oral hygiene. Gums also tend to become red and inflamed. They may even bleed as you develop gingivitis and advanced periodontal disease. Weakened gums can lead to a weaker hold on teeth and more tooth loss.

Less Saliva Production Leads to Increased Acid

Meth has an acidic nature to it which can advance dental decay in one key way: it slows down saliva production. Dry mouth is one of the most common side effects of meth. Saliva flow plays a crucial role in balancing the acids in the mouth, removing some of the most harmful chemicals from your teeth and gums.

When saliva production slows, acid can build up on your teeth. This dry mouth issue results in rotting teeth that may break and need removal to improve oral health.

Teeth Grinding in Meth Addiction

Meth affects everyone a little differently, but many meth users will struggle with teeth grinding or the clenching of their jaw muscles. Because meth is a stimulant, you may have more energy than you have outlets for it.

Instead of funneling your energy into correcting poor dental hygiene, most people resort to involuntary actions like teeth grinding. Unfortunately, this can have devastating effects on your meth mouth when it’s combined with the other issues found here.

Poor oral health means that your teeth are already weak. Adding more pressure to your tooth surfaces could lead methamphetamine users to break teeth that are already weak from dry mouth and poor oral health. Grinding can cause breakage much faster than might otherwise happen.

Research shows that meth users who smoke the drug have more missing teeth than non-users and greater degrees of teeth grinding (also known as bruxism) compared to non-users. Meth use can also result in lockjaw.

Sugary Foods Speed Up Tooth Decay

Drug abuse can have a profound impact on your diet. While you may not eat much while using meth, there is one thing you’re likely to crave: sugary foods. Whether that means sodas or cereals with high fructose corn syrup, you’re likely to turn to these junk food items over healthier meals time and again.

One of the biggest culprits of dental decay is the marked increase in sugary sodas consumed by those with a meth issue. These are easy to drink and seriously impact overall dental health when you stop the routine of brushing and flossing.

The issue here goes beyond simple nutrition. When paired with poor dental hygiene, it means that the sugars are going to sit on your teeth for longer periods. Cavities commonly lead to severe tooth decay as they progress in severity, resulting in pain and discomfort.

Eventually, you may have to remove the teeth to minimize pain and get dental health under control.

Chemicals Resulting from Methamphetamine Use

Meth use leads to extensive tooth decay for all the reasons listed above, but meth itself can also cause tooth loss. Dental treatment is key to preserving your oral health, but you should know that meth will take its toll on your mouth because of the harsh chemicals it contains.

Perhaps the most well-known issue with methamphetamine use is that the drug weakens tooth enamel. When combined with low saliva flow, poor oral hygiene, and a craving for sugary foods, there isn’t much to prevent meth from causing irreparable damage to your oral cavity.

Teeth will be more prone to rotting and will rot faster as you scale up your meth use and fall further into your addiction. All of these reasons for meth mouth compound to create more issues with dental health.

Can You Undo Meth Mouth?

Unfortunately, there may not be much you can do to combat the severe tooth decay resulting from your meth use. You’re likely to erode tooth enamel and have advanced periodontal disease by the time you notice that your teeth aren’t looking their best. This advanced stage of decay is irreversible.

However, you can get help for severe pain caused by dental caries and tooth erosion. The treatment is often to pull the tooth or remove it surgically, as necessary.

Of course, this leaves you with gaps in your smile that might embarrass you or decrease your self-confidence. Most people will start with cosmetic dental procedures once they get help for a crystal meth addiction. This might include implants, dentures, and bridges to replace missing teeth.

Comprehensive Treatment for the Entire Body

While the American Dental Association focuses on the dental impacts of meth abuse, Icarus Behavioral Health in Nevada focuses more on the whole body. We know that you can’t treat your meth mouth until you’ve taken steps to eradicate drug abuse from your day-to-day life.

Our clinicians can provide you with the intensive care necessary to face addiction right now. From our detox program to intensive outpatient, we have treatment at all levels to satisfy your need for help. Methamphetamine users can rest assured that we’re trained in the right treatments to help.

Once you have your substance use under control, you can work with a doctor and dentist to improve your symptoms and get your oral health improved once and for all.

Get Help for Meth at Icarus Behavioral Health in Nevada Today

Whether your primary concern is dry mouth or drug-induced psychological issues, Icarus Behavioral Health in Nevada comes alongside your meth addiction. We offer you a comfortable place to detox and residential treatment with around-the-clock access to care until you’re ready for outpatient help.

To stop accelerating tooth decay, we can help you overcome methamphetamine addiction.

Our enrollment team can answer your questions, verify your insurance benefits, and help you reserve a spot in one of our treatment programs. Call today to learn more about your body’s ability to heal from a substance use issue!

References

1. Walter, A. W., Bachman, S. S., Reznik, D. A., Cabral, H., Umez-Eronini, A., Nath, A., Flournoy, M. W., & Young, N. S. (2012). Methamphetamine use and dental problems among adults enrolled in a program to increase access to oral health services for people living with HIV/AIDS. Public health reports (Washington, D.C. : 1974), 127 Suppl 2(Suppl 2), 25–35.
2. Zokaee, H., Fathi, S., Golalipour, H., & Mirzaei, F. (2022). Effects of Methamphetamine Withdrawal on the Volume and pH of Stimulated Saliva. Journal of dentistry (Shiraz, Iran), 23(2), 80–85.
3. Alqarni, H., Aldghim, A., Alkahtani, R., Alshahrani, N., Altoman, M. S., Alfaifi, M. A., Helmi, M., & Alzaid, A. A. (2024). Crystal methamphetamine and its effects on mental and oral health: A narrative review. The Saudi dental journal, 36(5), 665–673.
4. Murphy, D. A., Harrell, L., Fintzy, R., Vitero, S., Gutierrez, A., & Shetty, V. (2016). Soda Consumption Among Methamphetamine Users in the USA: Impact on Oral Health. Oral health & preventive dentistry, 14(3), 227–234.