Alcohol, Drugs & Your Teeth
Alcohol, Drugs & Your Teeth – Drinking, heroin, and cocaine can do great damage to your oral health. Find out more on alcohol, drugs & your teeth in this video.
Expert: Richard B. Smith, DDS Cosmetic and Implant Dentistry, Specialized Dentistry of New York
Transcript
Do you like to go out, have a few drinks — maybe even MORE than a few drinks? What might make for a great night of partying can be BAD news for your oral health. That shot of straight tequila, no big deal. But mix it into a margarita and you’re asking for a MOUTHFUL of oral health issues.
Straight alcohol is acidic and can wear down the enamel on your teeth, but it packs the MOST risk when combined with sugary juices. The sugars in mixed drinks combine with bacteria in your mouth causing plaque and tartar to form. And that leads to….yup… tooth decay AND cavities.
Because of its high sugar content, beer will do the same. And the acid in wine also wears down your enamel. To reduce the effects of alcohol on your teeth, try to remember to chew a few pieces of sugar-free gum after drinking. This will stimulate saliva production and wash away any sugars or acids sitting around your mouth.
You’ll also want to BRUSH YOUR TEETH after a night out. And – if it happens – brush after any episodes of VOMITING you may experience. If you’re more of an occasional drug-user than a drinker, let’s go over what the most common drugs can do to your oral health.
MARIJUANA can cause short-term dry mouth and lead to an increased risk of gum disease. COCAINE gets highly acidic when mixed with saliva. Because people often rub it into their GUMS after snorting, it can wear away tooth enamel AND cause ULCERATION of gums. Even snorting cocaine allows the drug to get into your mouth because anything entering the nose drips into the back of throat like a post-nasal drip.
Popping a pill of ECSTASY often results in teeth grinding and jaw clenching, leading to cracked and chipped teeth. Even HEROIN, which is often INJECTED, can do a number on your teeth. Heroin users tend to crave SWEETS, which increases the risk of tooth decay — AND if you’re a regular user, chances are likely you’re spending money on your next fix…NOT a cleaning or your dental health in general.
The WORST damage is done by meth. Methamphetamine is highly acidic and erodes tooth enamel, quickly causing severe tooth decay – or, ‘meth mouth.’ Add in meth’s common side effects of tooth grinding and jaw clenching, and you FURTHER break down your teeth.
Bottom line? Brush after drinking, and if you care about your oral health, steer clear of dangerous drugs.
For more on how to keep your teeth and gums healthy, check out OTHER videos in this series.
Last Modified: 2013-07-29
Category: Health and Nutrition, Videos
