Meth Mouth

[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.

[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.

[~lostgurl~]

http://www.drugs-forum.com/forum/loc...=1115&catid=39

news clip on meth mouth

[kindasortahappy]

swim was a every day user for 8 years,
2 years clean now, actually only because most of swims friends are now dead or serving prison terms, and no access to pure form.. anyway, swim love(d) the high, the ritual was smoking it..exclusively...while swims friends injected

swim spent 6k on fixing swims teeth in the last year and finally now he has a "new" set of teeth (7 fake ones wired into his real ones and like 16 fillings), swim have good hygeine habits and always have, he just didnt eat and swim believes the chems from smoking are to blame for his dental problems

dunno, just his 2c from an old head

Reputation Comments on this post:

thanks for the detailed info, good to know that things can be fixed

[kindasortahappy]

swim double posted

[Police Officer]

Originally Posted by DiggerDan

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.

I forgot that I posted here some time ago that I would speak with some dentists about the subject. I actually did speak with my hygienist and dentist about the subject about a month and a half ago when I went for my checkup. Both seemed to have the same opinion that meth mouth is attributed to equal amounts of three contributing elements. They said that the three elements are the horribly corrosive contents of meth, poor personal hygiene, and the intake of fast food and high sugar content foods.

I also have met numerous IV meth addicts. I speak with each and every one about meth. I ask the IV users if the meth mouth is because of meth, and they always say yes. Each one tells me that they got meth mouth when they were smoking it before they started slamming it.

I have also met several addicts who are addicted to other drugs who also have meth mouth. I can think of a man and a woman who I spoke with about this in the past week. One was a crack addict, and one was a oxy addict. Both stated that they used to be addicted to meth before stints in prison. Both stated that the best thing that ever happened to them was getting locked up so they could get clean from meth. Of course it is always odd to hear an addict talking about being clean from another drug, so I ask about that. Every single time the addict will tell me that anything is better than meth.

Originally Posted by kindasortahappy

swim was a every day user for 8 years,
2 years clean now, actually only because most of swims friends are now dead or serving prison terms, and no access to pure form.. anyway, swim love(d) the high, the ritual was smoking it..exclusively...while swims friends injected

swim spent 6k on fixing swims teeth in the last year and finally now he has a "new" set of teeth (7 fake ones wired into his real ones and like 16 fillings), swim have good hygeine habits and always have, he just didnt eat and swim believes the chems from smoking are to blame for his dental problems

dunno, just his 2c from an old head

Great job!! Keep up the good work.

Here is something I found on the subject.


Meth mouth

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Suspected case of meth mouth


Meth mouth is an informal name for advanced tooth decay attributed to heavy methamphetamine use. According to the American Dental Association, meth mouth "is probably caused by a combination of drug-induced psychological and physiological changes resulting in xerostomia (dry mouth), extended periods of poor oral hygiene, frequent consumption of high calorie, carbonated beverages and tooth grinding and clenching."[1]
Characteristics include:

• xerostomia (dry mouth): Methamphetamine use may decrease the production of saliva. A lack of saliva's natural protective effects directly leads to increased tooth decay, particularly at the gumline. Many users also smoke tobacco or consume highly sugared soft drinks, worsening the problem.
• cracked teeth: Methamphetamine induces clenching and grinding of the teeth, leading to wear or cracks.
• neglect of oral hygiene: This is likely among the most important causes of poor oral health among methamphetamine users. After a prolonged binge, users may sleep for a day or more with their mouths open, exacerbating the problems of poor saliva supply.

Meth mouth is "difficult to distinguish" from a simple case of poor oral hygiene.[2] Dentists are advised to look for "unaccounted for and accelerated decay in teenagers and young adults" and "malnourished appearance in heavy users, because methamphetamine acts as an appetite suppressant."[1]