Meth mouth is severe decay and loss of your teeth. Tooth fractures and acid erosion can also occur. Meth mouth occurs when someone has had an extended period of time using methamphetamine. Meth mouth is caused by the side effects of the drug and also lifestyle choices. Side effects of meth include clenching, grinding the teeth, and dry mouth. If someone who uses meth has poor oral hygiene and drinks a lot of sugary drinks, their teeth are usually worse than meth users who have good oral hygiene. Not only does meth mouth give you severe tooth decay, it also gives you gum disease that causes the teeth to break or fall out. A study was done by The Journal of the American Dental Association with 571 methamphetamine users. This study showed that 96% had cavities, 58% had tooth decay that had not been treated, and 31% of users had over six teeth missing. …show more content…
If you keep using the drug, it will make changes in oral hygiene unlikely. Giving dental treatment to meth users can be very dangerous because the use of local anesthetic and meth combined can cause serious heart problems with the patient. Although meth mouth is difficult to treat, treatment can involve fillings, fluoride treatment in an attempt to fight tooth decay, and drugs that increase saliva for dry mouth. There has been a decline in meth users nationwide, although it is used in the west/Midwestern area of America. According to the 2012 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 1,200,000 people said they have used meth in the past year. 440,000 had used it in the past month. Psychotherapy and psychosocial treatment may be used to treat crystal meth addiction. The first phase of treatment is detoxification that can go smoother is someone is monitored by a medical staff. Other therapies for crystal meth abuse is contingency management , cognitive behavioral therapy, the matric model, and 12 step