Meth Mouth

[Police Officer]

How long does it take for a regular meth user to get meth mouth?

[Bajeda]

What do you define as a regular meth user? Several times a week? Once a day? Several times a day?

[radiometer]

How many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Roll™ Tootsie Pop™?

[Forthesevenlakes]

Originally Posted by radiometer

How many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Roll™ Tootsie Pop™?

"Hey Mr. Toad? How many licks of you does it take to get to the center of a Rhode Island state prison?" "Just One."

[Alfa]

I have never even seen meth nor meth users AFAIK, but logic dictates that it's dependend upon the intensisty of use, the health/strength of the mouth, the definition of meth mouth and that it's a gradual thing.

[Nagognog2]

Old neighbor of mine managed to grind all his teeth down to rotten gunk in, he estimated, about a year of constant speed use back in the late '60's living in what was left of the Haight-Ashbury in San Francisco. Meth and other forms of speed ruined the Haight real quick. Went from an avant-garde Bohemian artist collective into a high-crime ruin in about as long as it took my neighbor's teeth to rot out.

"Even Paranoids Have Real Enemies." "Speed Kills."

[Police Officer]

I would define regular as once to several times a day. I spoke with one girl who told me that she didnt get meth mouth untill after almost 10 years of regular use. I spoke with a guy who said there was obvious signs after 8 months.

But ultimately, I guess it does depend on several things such as pre-exsisting conditions, if they brush or not, chemicals used.

Alfa, count your lucky stars. The stuff is evil.

[Police Officer]

Originally Posted by Nagognog2

Went from an avant-garde Bohemian artist collective into a high-crime ruin in about as long as it took my neighbor's teeth to rot out.

Thats not hard to believe

[Forthesevenlakes]

swim has only witnessed it with daily users, but he could never tell how long it had taken them to develop it. but they had all used for about a year or two. so its probably not as long as 10 years for most people.

[radiometer]

I'm under the impression that malnutrition is one of the main causes of oral problems for heavy meth users.

[Nagognog2]

Ya know - according to my old neighbor, his dentist diagnosed the cause as his grinding his teeth 24/7. He ended up having all but two of his teeth extracted. But this is many years back so diagnosis of such may have been refined.

Why not call a few dentists in places where methamphetamine use has taken hold for a few years? Ask a few what they think about the time for this to occur, and the current thunk on why this happens. From a cross-section of dentists, you could get a relatively accurate idea.

[INodHardOhYeah]

I live in an area with a very large community of meth users, a friend of SWIMs had a habit that developed over 6 or so months. I remember being able to hear him over the tv grinding his teeth, he used to spend hours digging at his teeth his with a u-100 (100 cc needle), it makes me cringe just thinking about it.

[DerZyniker]

SWIM has been doing it for 15 years.. daily for the last 6 years.. and no meth mouth because it is a ridiculous myth. Most of the negative effects from drugs come from criminal and punitive consequences, poorly made street drugs, etc.. in other words most of the negative effects come from it being illegal, not the drug itself. All these "faces of meth" people the media is selling are people who do not take care of themselves, and who cannot afford normal basic medical care.

I am an executive at a large manufacturing company, and though I will concede that daily use of something like meth is unwise and can contribute to health and other personal problems, everything is relative. Daily consumption of fast food will probably do just as much if not more damage. We all have our shortcomings and weaknesses... it would be nice if they were perceived objectively and if they were we would probably have a completely different set of priorities with regard to handling social ills.

[Freaky]

Have to agree with DerZniker on this one, it does very much depend on how look after yourself in generally, and not just the substance taken ;-).

I'm sure they're are plenty of people out there, who drink, take H, Coke and look worse than the "Meth Mouth" type pictures. I think it comes down to the individual efforts maintained to try and ensure that look after themselves well, and try to counter balance the effects of their lifestyle to positive ones.

Can't help thinking that Whilst Meth Mouth does, and can happen, the proportions of serious Meth Mouth amoungst users would be pretty low, and not this Dead-Cert guarantee that many government bodies have produced rldwide.

Most of it it just common sense, like if you can't eat...drink supplement drinks to try and help your body get some of the nutrients it needs; chew-gum (i've heard that it's the lack of saliva that actually compounds the issue; cBrush, floss and use mouthwash twice a day like you would normally (even though you might have not slept, you're mouth still wants that morning bursh .

Oh...and Never, Never rub it into your gums, try bombing it instead

[hh339]

I meet with several (meth)amphetamine(s) users quite often, and I just thought of something. I have absolutely no idea if there is any truth to this, but in my observations I have noticed that the ones who inject it seem to have far less problems with their mouths, compared to the ones who eat and snort it. Anyone?

[mcaidz]

Could be possible. It should be absorbed by your noses mucous membrane if u snort it, but who the hell know what else is in the stuff. So it can run down into ur mouth and to your teeth. Injekting means first of all cleaning it a little bit and it wont get in contact with any mucous membrane at all.

[hh339]

Yes. I also noticed alot more teeth grinding with people who eat/snort it. Especially when they start doing the drug, after some time the grinding has subsided in most cases. At least with straight amphetamine.

[Police Officer]

I think Nog's made a good suggestion. I'll probably call a few dentists and post the results on here.

From what I've always heard...meth mouth is the result of a combination of poor dental hygene and the corrosive chemicals that are contained in methamphetamines. From what I understand the poor dental hygene leaves the teeth especially vulnerable to the chemicals.

[daeron]

whenever i come to the dentist i get praise of my beautiful teeth...so so much for that myth.
but seriously, if wun is sleeping onna street and tweaking you should expect a toothless mouth. there are many many regular amph users, you see them every day

[Beeker]

It's a good thing the US of A has their drug war ... that has closed out all the safe drugs allowing only for mexi-meth to flow right on in to burn America down.

-.-;

[Octo42o]

Dont smoke, and you wont get meth mouth. Snort and inject. That simple.

[mick mouse]

SWIM was talking to his friend Dude, and Dude said he used to know someone who manufactured meth for a short time. Dude's friend says that meth mouth is far and away most prevalent in those who smoke meth, followed by those who snort it, and is definatively caused by chemicals, poor oral hygene, and teeth grinding, in that order. Dude's friend based that on a comparision of "street" meth to pharmaceutical desoxyephedrine, for which he held a valid script at one time, which he said didn't cause any of those problems

[ponygirl]

As a girl with Bruxism, likely from stress or something, I can tell you it has taken a couple years to grind though my teeth. Well...less than ten to grind though stainless steel crowns and to noticeablely flatten my teeth. Only mostly my back teeth. I have more problems with my jaw hurting though, so I figured if Meth mouth was just from teeth grinding, they would have a wreck of a jaw before they ground off teeth.

[DiggerDan]

Originally Posted by Octo42o

Dont smoke, and you wont get meth mouth. Snort and inject. That simple.

Simply not true.

There have been no conclusive studies proving that the route of administration determines severity of meth mouth.

There are several theories;

-Meth is hydroscopic and thus the vapors from smoking absorb the saliva in your mouth, allowing bacteria to grow more rapidly.
-In addition to the above, meth (ab)users craving for sweets causes rapid tooth decay to vulnerable teeth through weakened enamel.

More theories are out there. I just can't think too well right now.

There have been several documented cases of IV meth (ab)users with severe cases of meth mouth. Some cases where the user began abusing meth for the very first time intravenously. Mostly previous IV heroin and cocaine users.

The theory of placing the pipe past your front teeth, thus not pulling the vapors across your teeth, has been proven false. When dentists have taken a closer look at meth mouth, they have noticed that the teeth most decayed and weakened are the molars. Leading some to believe that the rapid growth of bacteria (most bacteria grows normally in your molars) is the leading cause of meth mouth.

[CatMont]

SWIM nows very little about meth, but he used to have this older roomie who did so much glass that he had false teeth by the time he was 30-32.