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Drug and alcohol addiction can lead to various health complications. These include serious oral health problems and complications.
Unless you stop taking these substances and receive help, you’re at risk of staying in a cycle of deteriorating health. In this article, we discuss the different effects of abusing nicotine, alcohol, and drugs and how each one affects your oral health.
Nicotine and tobacco, in particular, can have a drastic influence on your oral health. It’s a highly addictive chemical and one of the leading causes of disease and death in the U.S. It’s present in:
About 34 million adults in the country smoke cigarettes and over 16 million cigarette smokers suffer from smoking-related diseases.8 According to John Reed, a dental public health expert from Test Prep Pal, smoking and chewing tobacco can lead to the following:
Similar to plaque buildup, smokers are more likely to develop dry mouth (xerostomia). It’s a less severe oral condition when the mouth’s salivary glands don’t produce enough saliva.
Tobacco and nicotine slow down how quickly the mouth makes saliva. This can result in the following conditions:
Smoking on its own doesn’t result in gum disease. However, long-term smoking contributes to dry mouth. A dry mouth leads to increased plaque and calculus buildup, which can lead to gum disease.
Over time, gingivitis (reversible gum disease) or periodontal disease can form. It results in permanent bone loss and, eventually, tooth loss.
Smoking can stain teeth brown, yellow, or black. A dentist or an at-home whitening treatment can remove these stains. However, continuing to smoke makes discoloration more challenging to remove.
Tobacco products contain chemicals that decrease saliva flow. If the mouth doesn’t produce enough saliva, plaque builds up faster and is harder to remove.
Plaque is a sticky bacterial layer that triggers an inflammatory response in the gums. Unremoved plaque turns into calculus (tartar), which is hardened plaque.
Over time, unremoved plaque and tartar result in cavities and gum disease. Only a dentist can remove tartar.
The following can lead to chronic bad breath:
There’s no single solution to treating halitosis. However, most people can cure it by changing their lifestyle and oral hygiene routines.
Tobacco is the leading cause of oral cancer in adults. About 90 percent of people with oral cancer use tobacco.10
This type of cancer can affect the following:
Smokers have “masked” or “silent” gum disease. Nicotine reduces blood flow, resulting in less sensitive gums and minor bleeding.
According to Reed alcohol is often loaded with sugars. This can cause various problems, including:
Drinking alcohol occasionally and moderately shouldn’t affect your teeth too badly. However, an unhealthy habit of drinking can lead to short and long-term effects on your oral health.
Minor oral health conditions that may form due to long-term alcohol consumption include:
More serious oral health conditions that can develop from long-term alcohol abuse and addiction include:
Dental erosion occurs when acidic substances wear away tooth enamel. The condition is irreversible because enamel can’t regrow.
Tooth enamel erosion can result from frequent vomiting and regurgitation caused by alcohol abuse. This is because stomach acid is very acidic.
Consuming acidic alcoholic drinks, such as wine, can also result in erosion over time. This is because most wines have low pH levels, making them acidic.
Poor oral hygiene is a common trait in alcoholics. In addition, alcohol’s drying effect can contribute to plaque formation.
If plaque remains, tartar and dental caries (cavities) develop over time. If the tartar spreads below the gum line, periodontal disease commonly forms, leading to permanent tooth loss.
Heavy drinking is the second leading cause of oral cancer in adults. People who have at least four drinks a day are about five times more likely to develop mouth or throat cancer than those who never drink or drink moderately.11
Over-the-counter and prescription medications can damage your teeth, leading to problems such as:
Some medications can also lead to hyperplasia, which is a condition that causes gum tissue to grow over your teeth. Examples of these medications include epilepsy medication, blood pressure medications, and calcium channel blockers.
Talk to your doctor or dentist regarding medications that could harm your teeth. Lastly, you shouldn’t stop taking your medications or adjusting your dose without your doctor’s advice.
People who abuse drugs and similar harmful substances are more likely to develop serious oral health conditions. Some substances that can lead to poor oral health include:
If you’re addicted to any of the substances above, you may need to consult an addiction specialist to help you stay sober. They can also provide a treatment plan that caters to your needs.
Reed also mentioned that cocaine users suffer from ‘Coke Mouth’, where the corrosive effect of the drug combined with teeth grinding leads to significant cavities. Meanwhile, heroin and other opiates can cause severe malnutrition, resulting in weak and decayed teeth.
Additionally, using meth can lead to ‘Meth Mouth‘, which is characterized by severe decay, tooth loss, dry mouth, and gum disease. The corrosion is often so intense that it’s challenging to save the affected teeth.
Drug addiction can also result in:
Some drugs, like cocaine, also weaken the immune system. This increases an addict’s risk of developing oral infections.
If you or a loved one is suffering from nicotine, alcohol, or drug addiction, seek treatment immediately. In addition to finding an addiction treatment center and mental health facility, you should also address your oral health problems.
Visit a general dentist or dental specialist as soon as possible to explore your treatment options. They can help with the abnormal development of:
Drug addiction can lead to detrimental effects on the body, including complications to oral health. The three most notable addictive substances that affect oral health are nicotine, alcohol, and drugs.
Addiction to these substances can lead to minor dental health issues such as dry mouth or tooth discoloration. However, these can progress to more severe illnesses, such as periodontal disease and oral cancer.
Drug dependence must be treated simultaneously with your oral health problems. Doing so can prevent your addiction symptoms and dental complications from worsening.
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