Meth puts bite on users

Minutes, hours and days pass by, but they do not even notice.

Methamphetamine addicts' only concern is making, getting or using the drug. They totally neglect their personal hygiene.

Their teeth start rotting into an hourglass shape, and their gums turn a putrid shade of gray.

``Meth mouth'' is a condition common in habitual meth users that results in rotting and deteriorating teeth and gums due to chemical ingredients in meth.

Eleven health and dental care organizations recently joined the Tennessee District Attorney General Conference's campaign against meth. With the Meth Destroys campaign, Tennessee district attorneys are making medical and dental officials more aware of the signs of meth use.

Blount County District Attorney General Mike Flynn said his office is working to ensure medical and dental staff in the area are aware of the signs of meth use by sending out information and holding workshops on meth.

Dr. John Emert, a practicing Blount County dentist, said most people who use methamphetamine do not seek dental care until their teeth are too deteriorated to repair. He said they usually end up having a full-mouth extraction.

He said the first sign of meth mouth is rampant decay in the mouth due to chemicals in meth such as sulfuric acid, muriatic acid and lye.

``When it's smoked, all of those fumes are released into the mouth and acid breaks down the enamel; that causes tooth decay,'' Emert said. ``So you get what is called an hourglass pattern of tooth decay.''

Dr. Otto Slater is a board certified oral and maxillofacial surgeon active on staff at Blount Memorial Hospital and a faculty member at University of Tennessee Medical Center.

Slater said he has seen obvious cases of meth mouth about six times and is suspicious of it quite often.

``I have a close relationship with law enforcement, and I understand from them the prevalence and dangers of methamphetamine abuse,'' Slater said. ``Given the prevalence, I commonly see rampantly decayed adult dentition which is consistent with meth mouth.''

Slater said causes of meth mouth could be related to the drug's acidic nature. He said other causes include:

* Dry mouth produced by meth, which reduces the amount of protective saliva around the teeth.

* Due to cravings from meth use, an increase in consumption of sweets and carbonated beverages that damage the teeth.

* Meth users clinch and grind their teeth.

* Meth is associated with poor hygiene and poor social habits such as not brushing teeth.

Slater said that as a trauma surgeon at UT Medical Center, he sees meth abusers as patients who have been injured in motor vehicle accidents.

``This is a very serious problem in East Tennessee,'' Slater said. ``Law enforcement in Blount County has done a great job in stemming the tie of meth. In some of our surrounding counties, it's truly an epidemic.''

Emert said another factor that dentists must consider with meth users is the risk of administering local anesthetics to meth-addicted patients. He said meth users tend to have high blood pressure, and dentists and doctors must be careful to consider side effects.

``Users tend to have high blood pressure as a result of doing all that methamphetamine,'' Emert said. ``Some of the drugs we use to numb the teeth have cardiovascular effects and effects on the heart. So we have to be careful with that.''

An individual's use of meth creates a ripple effect of dangers. Emert said that with meth, there are definitely more people involved and at risk than just the user.

Flynn said Tennessee's district attorneys intend to make sure dental and health-care personnel are educated about all of the effects meth could have on their facilities.