Meth Mouth: Fact or Fiction?

My husband wants to know if 'meth-mouth' is for real or is it just bad hygiene?

Can someone explain exactly what it is?

Thanks!

It's real. Some say its due to poor hygiene.

Has to do with the chemicals in meth. A person can quit and still have perfect teeth and then years later have their teeth start rotting out.

Lemme see if I can find a website to explain it better.

Fact. Common from smoking it (vs. snorting and shooting). I'm not a user, but I saw what it did to my brother's teeth. Severe cavities, mainly located along the gum line.
Another fact of meth users is body odor, they get it bad.

Ok, I totally edited the WRONG ONE. Sorry I messed that up. Could have sworn it had my name...

Lost that link now. Here's another.
www.dentalgentlecare.com/drug_use_&_oral_clues.htm#gum%20disease

another link

and this one

I know that your tongue swells up from dehydration- not drinking for long periods of time. But can the meth-mouth symptoms be less or more depending on how the meth was made? Because sometimes when I used I would get REALLY bad meth-mouth and other times my mouth would be just fine the next day..

Click those links Scooter. You'll see what meth mouth really LOOKS like. Ouch!!

But what was your experience may I ask?

Hell...I got a form of meth-mouth while not even using meth! I'd been grinding away and clenching at night and now I'm working on about a crown a year!

AND a specially made mouth appliance at $680 that insurance doesn't cover!

It'd been my long time opinion that it's a number of things that all contribute to it.

Poor hygeine is a good part of it..

But I htink that malnutrition does at least at much damage.

Then there're all the theories about how the meth itself damages your teeth when you smoke it..

And the theories about how the adrenaline that it causes to wash over your teeth is corrosive..

And the theories about grinding your teeth..

Who knows. I knew alot of tweekers with decent teeth.

I've never had a cavity in my life... but when I was using I always ate regularly.. and told myself that was the most important thing to staying healthy (well, that and sleep) Now I'm not sure *what* saved my teeth.. but something did.

I think this is a case where meth gets too much credit.. heh. But then.. I'm no doctor.

hmm

i guess i wasn't thinking that far in meth addiction.

sometimes i forget that i still have a looong way to go. :\

jacksmom, I'm the same way! I didn't use meth, but am terrified of dentists. As fillings fell out and I refused to go get them repaired, I incurred even more damage. I may have 2 good teeth in my mouth.

Meth causes dehydration. Cotton mouth.

Saliva is a natural defence system for your teeth, it naturally washes the surface of your teeth. Without Saliva, or much of it, there is nothing to protect your teeth.

Add in sugar binges. Many meth addicts search out tons of sugary sodas and sweets. Very little saliva, sugary sweets.

Meth users often forget to accomplish daily tasks. Too busy. So brushing teeth can become one of the things a tweaker forgets to do, or loses track of time and doesn't realize it's been 3 days. Unless they tweak out on brushing.... which has been known to happen, too.

So Lack of saliva + sugary sweets + forgetting hygiene.

And that doesn't take into effect the smoking of it. That's for ANY use.

Smokers, and to some extent snorters (drains down the back of the throat) are adding in carrosive chemicals to the environment.