Dr. Nicolas Porter Adresses the Effects of Drug Abuse in Oral Health

Dr. Nicolas J. Porter, Founder and CEO of Risas Dental and Braces and Host of Dr. Nicolas Show

By: Cindy G. Castillo

Did you know there is a medical condition for having dry mouth? Did you know that you are 10 times more likely to have a cavity when dryness of the mouth is present?

The condition is called Xerostomia, and according to the Oral Cancer Foundation, it is defined as dry mouth resulting from reduced or absent saliva flow.

Saliva is what rinses and helps fight off bacteria from our mouths. Xerostomia is not a disease, but it could be the effect of taking multiple medications, or drug abuse.

Dr. Nicolas J. Porter, DDS, founder and CEO at Risas Dental and Braces provides you with interesting statistics and facts when it comes to the effects of drug abuse in oral health.

There are two points that should be addressed when it comes to drugs.

First, “there are drugs that are prescribed and their effect on our dental health, and then there are illegal drugs, such as cocaine, heroin and marijuana, and their effects on our oral health,” he explains.

It doesn’t have to be an illegal drug to harm your teeth, however. Any form of prescription drug is a cause of dry mouth.

“People that are taking prescription drugs need to be extra careful and extra diligent in coming to the dentist to make sure their teeth are okay,” Dr. Porter said.

When it comes to taking illegal drugs, such as Methamphetamine, the damage is severe and at times irreversible.

Methamphetamine is historically the most responsible in causing gum problems, tooth decay, oral cancer and dry mouth.

“We see many patients that have a history of meth use and in those cases, we have to take out every single one of their teeth and do dentures. Or at very minimum, we have to do caps or crowns on every single one of their teeth after we remove the decay.”

This of course depends on how long the drug has been abused.

When it comes to who is at risk, the effects of meth on oral health does not target a specific age demographic. “I’ve seen 20-year-olds up to 40-year-olds, so it’s more about when they get their hands on the drugs.”

Good news is, Latinos have a much lower percentage of oral damage because of meth, but not based on genetics, but on lower percentage of use of the drug. It also doesn’t mean that they aren’t at risk.

“The drug is very acidic, that’s what destroys the enamel of the teeth. So when they take it, that high acidity, it eats away the tooth structure,” he said.

The  most common age to start meth is 14-15 years old, and the demographic most at risk are African-Americans and Native Americans.

And thus oral health and care will always be the number one form of prevention. Exercising care when it comes to personal hygiene will prevent you from any permanent damage to your smile.

This article is a feature from the series, “From the Mouth of Dr. Nicolas.” You can listen to “El Show del Dr. Nicolas” every Wednesday from 8 a.m. – 9 a.m. on 1190AM. Visit the official website at  www.DrNicolasShow.com 

If you have any questions regarding this topic, and would like to make an appointment for a free consultation, visit RisasDental.com, or follow Dr. Nicolas on Twiiter @DrNicolasShow or “LIKE” his page on Facebook at Facebook.com/DrNicolasShow