Excessive substance abuse can be highly dangerous and can lead to life-threatening situations. Prolonged effects of drugs in the body can cause lethal, irreversible changes on a cellular level, affecting your oral health.
Patients and drug addicts are generally known for having poor regard for their appearance. Similarly, their dental care habits may possibly also be irregular or entirely non-existent. In such cases, it can be difficult to restore their dental instruments surgically without providing them medications.
So, dentistry for addicts will differ depending on the drugs they’ve taken and the extent of damage they have induced to their teeth and mouth.
Drugs & Their Oral Effects
Certain drugs could harm the teeth much quicker compared to other drugs. Reversing the damages caused by such drugs can require prolonged oral care, and here are a few examples of such drugs:
- Cocaine
- Meth
- OTC drugs
- Amphetamines
- Tobacco
- Opioids
Possible Dental Procedures
- Cocaine ingested by application to the teeth or gums or smoked can cause tooth decay and lead to mouth sores that turn into gum infections.
- A gum procedure or Dental Veneers can help towards dental restoration to protect their gums and teeth.
- Meth consumption damages the teeth quicker than most drugs, leading to tooth decay and even gum abrasions. The after effects can also cause patients to grind their teeth.
- Obtaining dental implants or dental bridges can offer all-around dental protection.
- OTC drug consumption can cause dry mouth and even cause acidic teeth that are responsible for causing tooth decay and teeth gapping.
- Getting teeth cleaning procedures or teeth alignment can offer a whiter and symmetrical smile.
- Consuming tobacco by chewing or smoking can cause cancer besides also causing severe periodontal diseases. In such cases, patients can lose teeth quicker besides suffering from tooth sensitivity.
- Regular Oral care combined with obtaining dental veneers can help reverse the damage caused to the gums and teeth.
- Opioid use over a prolonged period can cause decay in the roots of the teeth. It can also cause mouth infections and teeth grinding issues that may further cause chipped teeth.
- Root canal treatment can be complex, but it can help restore the oral health of teeth. If chipped, obtaining dental fillings or dental bonding procedures can also help.
Preventive Dentistry
Dentistry procedures can also be obtained to keep your oral health in check instead of merely perceiving it as a solution for dental loss. The different treatments of preventative dentistry can help to counter the following dental problems:
- Gum disease
- Tooth sensitivity
- Cavities
- Gapped Teeth
- Other common dental conditions.
Treatments included under preventative dentistry will aid oral comfort besides helping to correct any developing dental problems.
- Dental Cleaning
- Fluoride Treatments
- Orthodontics & Mouth Guards
- Sealants & Dental Bonding
- Patient Dental Education
It is worth noting that underlying dental issues cannot be treated using preventive dentistry. Tooth restoration procedures can instead eliminate such dental problems. However, such methods are costlier than getting preventive dentistry. Many governments may also have preventive dental programs which are worth checking out to obtain free dental care.
Disclaimer: The statements, opinions, and data contained in these publications are solely those of the individual authors and contributors and not of Credihealth and the editor(s).
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