When you think of denture wearers, you typically envision older men and women, possibly with gray hair and too many frown lines. You can’t imagine young adults who wouldn’t be in the prime of their lives without their natural teeth.
Yet that is exactly what is happening today. With the rampant rise of illicit drug addiction in our youth, more and more people are losing their teeth to drugs like methamphetamine.
“Methamphetamine mouth.” A term used to describe a methamphetamine user’s mouth due to the rapid tooth decay that often occurs with use of this dangerous drug.
Acidic ingredients in this medicine may include battery acid, lantern fuel, antifreeze, hydrochloric acid, drain cleaner, bleach, and over-the-counter cold medicines that contain ephedrine. But contrary to popular belief, it’s not necessarily the chemicals used to make meth that cause tooth decay.
Meth users often care less and less about their personal hygiene, including caring for their teeth. Meth users often crave sugary drinks like soda when high and lack of proper dental care is not a good combination. Additionally, methamphetamine use causes saliva production to decrease and it is saliva that acts as a buffer against acidic substances. There’s also the clenching and grinding of the teeth that often occurs when using methamphetamine.
Often the damage to the teeth is so severe that the teeth cannot be saved and it is safe to say that many drug users would not have the financial means to pay for veneers or implants, leaving them with no choice but to get dentures.
Although the elderly remain the most likely candidates for dentures, since the drug population grows at an excessive rate in young adults, they won’t be far behind their elders in needing dentures.
If young adults need dentures, there are other concerns to worry about. Making sure you choose the right denture glue, denture cream, denture adhesives, and denture strips is also key to your health.
With the high rate of court cases of people suing the denture cream industry for zinc poisoning, it’s important to be careful when choosing denture glue. If you were or are currently a drug user, chances are your immune system is compromised and the absorption of zinc into your body could only cause more health problems.
Losing your natural teeth would never be nice and the thought of a parent seeing their young children needing dentures before they do is even more so, but luckily there are zinc free denture creams or zinc free denture glue in the mix. that people can choose. Plus other denture care items, such as denture wearer mouthwash, which can help keep your dentures and gums healthy.