A member asked:

How will methamphetamine drug use cause tooth decay?

13 doctors weighed in across 3 answers

Many reasons: Reasons methamphetamine causes rampant tooth decay may include: its ability to dry the mouth, reducing the amount of protective saliva around teeth a drug-induced craving for sugary soft drinks the habit of users to grind and clench their teeth how long the drug's effects last (up to 12 hours), which can lead to long periods when users are not likely to clean their teeth.

Answered 12/26/2022

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Dry mouth, soda: Methamphetamine causes dry mouth aka xerostomia. The saliva natural cleanses the teeth and buffers acidic plaque. Plaque acids are what eat away at enamel and causes tooth decay. Meth addicts with dry mouth tend to moisten their mouths with inexpensive sugary sodas which makes the problem even worse. Also meth addicts are largely consumed with getting more meth rather than oral hygiene.

Answered 7/28/2016

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Dry mouth: Saliva contains antibodies that attack the bacteria that cause tooth decay. Methamphetmine causes dry mouth. Dry mouth allows bacteria to have heyday when decaying teeth.

Answered 9/11/2013

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