Methamphetamine Use and Oral Health (Meth Mouth) Methamphetamine is a cheap, easy-to-make illicit drug. It’s known by several street names: Meth, Speed, Ice, Chalk, Crank, Fire, Glass, and Crystal. It is highly addictive and its use is on the rise in the U.S. even though it produces devastating effects on users health. Methamphetamine is a potent central nervous system stimulant that can cause shortness of breath, hyperthermia, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, irregular heart beat, high blood pressure, permanent brain damage and rampant tooth decay. Some users describe their teeth as “blackened, stained, rotting, crumbling or falling apart.” Often, the teeth cannot be salvaged and must be extracted.

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The extensive tooth decay is attributed to the drug's acidic nature and its tendency to dry mouth tissues. A methamphetamine “high” lasts much longer than that produced by crack cocaine (12 hours versus one hour for cocaine). This can lead to long periods of poor oral hygiene. And while they are high, users often crave high-calorie, carbonated, sugary beverages or they may grind or clench their teeth, all of which can harm teeth. Heavy users may appear malnourished because methamphetamine acts as an appetite suppressant.

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According to the 2003 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 12.3 million Americans age 12 and older had tried methamphetamine at least once in their lifetimes (5.2 percent of the population), with the majority of past-year users between 18 and 34 years of age. Significant decreases in the past year use were seen among 12- to 17-year-olds.

Traffickers have aggressively targeted rural areas in an effort to escape law enforcement, and most use is found in the western, southwestern, and Midwestern

Ingredients in Meth

Would you swallow a spoonful of drain cleaner?  Does the thought of injecting brake fluid into your arm appeal to you? Care to top off your dessert with a bit of rat poison? These are just a few of the common ingredients in Meth.  One reason behind the explosive growth in Meth labs is the availability of the components.  When users smoke, inject or drink Meth, this is what they are sending to their brain, cardiovascular system and throughout their bodies:     Some Common Meth Ingredients Alcohol - Gasoline additives/Rubbing   Alcohol Ether (starting fluid)                 Benzene Paint thinner                     Freon                             Acetone                    Chloroform Camp stove fuel Anhydrous ammonia White gasoline Pheynl-2-Propane Phenylacetone Phenylpropanolamine Rock, table or Epsom salt        Red Phosphorous     Toluene (found in  brake cleaner)      Red Devil Lye      Drain cleaner      Muraitic acid      Battery acid      Lithium from batteries      Sodium metal      Ephedrine      Cold tablets      Diet aids      Iodine      Bronchodialators      Energy boosters      Iodine crystals Lab equipment - including tubing, unmarked Mason jars with tubes attached, stained coffee filters, 2-liter pop bottles, blenders, camera batteries, wooden matches, propane cylinders and hot plates - are tip offs to the production of Meth. Individually, each product is legal and useful.  But when mixed together and processed, the results are deadly - to the producer, user and innocent bystanders.