Is there something in the drug that causes people to loose their teeth? Is it because they are constantly grinding your teeth, or stop brushing their teeth on a routine basis? Maybe a combination of all these factors? It must feel terrible to be dealing with an addiction to meth, and then to loose your teeth on top it seems like a terrible and expensive consequence.
Apparently there are a few reasons that his happens. Besides the obvious lack of attention to personal care which can happen, the drug causes teeth grinding and jaw clenching , both of which increase tooth erosion. Long term meth users often experience dry mouth symptoms. The gums literally become dehydrated and begin to recede.
I'm not sure why they lose their teeth. I know that they lose their appetite when they are on it and they don't get any nutrients and that leads to tooth decay, dry skin, and bunch of other problems.
It's something in the substance that does this teeth decay-and-falling situation to happen. I don't think it's that much about lack of self care. I mean, they lose their teeth in a short time span, and we'd need to not brush our teeth for a year at least in order for them to fall... which isn't the case for them.
Along with what @JoshPosh said I know the lack of nutrients as well as dehydration is a major problem in meth users. I also read somewhere once that meth use does cause the user to crave sweets, such as soda and carbonated beverages. They stay up for days and days so they never brush their teeth because they don't have a sense of "going to bed" or "waking up in the morning". So many things contribute to it, but I honestly feel like it eats people alive from the inside out.
Several reasons. First off, meth (and amphetamine) causes people to grind their teeth a lot which wears them down. They often lose their sense of time which causes them to be less hygeinic. On top of that, there are also chemicals such as sodium bicarb in the meth which does no good for their teeth either
Such a sick drug. How can anyone look at these facts and just ignore them? I cannot understand it for the life of me.
I've seen this happen. It even happens to the front teeth more often. Breaks down the enamel. Causes vitamin deficiencies. Probably need 3x's what a pregnant woman needs with pre-natal vitamins. Between the deficiencies and not eating right it severely effects the teeth. You even see it in their face and body.
I think it is a combination of the drug chemicals eroding the teeth from the outside, and demineralization due to nutritional deficiency (addicts usually have terrible diets) and high levels of toxins in the body. The combination of extreme wear and tear on the outside and deterioration on the inside cause the rapid decay of teeth. Although I have not heard much about it, it would not surprise me if meth users also develop osteoporosis for the same reasons. Teeth and bones are very similar in their structure and nutritional needs, so demineralization of the bones as well seems likely.
You've gotten some good answers here. I would also add that meth makes it so you salivate less, which is in turn bad for your oral health. Saliva helps wash back nasty, plaque-causing things to a degree.
These are also crucial factors. But in my opinion they lose their teeth because meth somehow burns your tissues, making bones weaker, thus cause teeth decay. I'm not sure if this is 100% correct though.
There are toxic chemicals in meth that decay the teeth. Complete tooth loss is accelerated by the lack of personal hygiene shown in meth users.
I have heard that the biggest culprit for this is a chemical which is extracted from cough medicine, which is known to be extremely damaging to the teeth. I don't know what chemical that is but I've seen multiple references to it now. Of course, there are also many other chemicals involved and many other factors which can include loss of hygiene, grinding of teeth, excessive smoking and consuming of coffee, unhealthy eating, etc, all of which can be side effects of using meth.
I don’t know if this is a good source of information but when I was so engrossed in watching Breaking Bad, I read almost every article about it. In one of the interviews with Vince Gilligan (the show’s writer), he said, "I wish Jesse’s teeth had been a little more realistic, a little more messed up. Aaron Paul has perfect teeth, and Jesse Pinkman, on the other hand smoked a lot of meth, and that smoke eats the enamel right off the teeth.”
Hello everyone! My name is Jorge Solis. Yes! Methamphetamines contain a high amount of Sodium, this can form kidney stones but it can also damage your teeth because the calcium found in your teeth reacts with the sodium in a catalytic reaction. This means that the osteoblasts in your teeth begin the destruction of their own cells.
Smoking! In the long term, you will lose all of your teeth. I was smoking my whole life, and many people said that it would destroy my health. I wasn't paying too much attention to these warnings because I always thought that it was my body and I could do whatever I wanted with it. After seventeen years of smoking, I started to have problems with my teeth. I had to visit jeffreygrossdds.com and get implants. I don't smoke anymore, and luckily my lungs weren't affected too much. I feel better after I quit smoking.