Common Drugs And Their Effect On Your Teeth

We often talk about the different types of food out there and how they affect your teeth. The same goes with drinks, and we even have mentioned sports and how they could affect your child’s smile depending on the level of contact involved.

But one thing we’ve never really explored (other than an article about alcohol and one about cigarettes) is the impact of drugs on your teeth. Drugs are something that will never be excised from society, so rather than act like they don’t exist and say “drugs = bad!”, we felt it was useful to at least know the impact different substances can have on your teeth over time.

Without further ado, let’s dive in.

Alcohol

Alcohol is one of the worst perpetrators of dental damage on this list. Though the sugars in alcohol are very unlikely to be the sole cause of cavities, there is something in alcohol that is pretty harmful: acidity.

Because all alcohol is fermented grains or fruits (or honey, if you’re talking about mead), it becomes more acidic in nature. Lo and behold, acidity does your teeth quite a bit of harm if unchecked or unwashed after a certain period of time. And the more you consume over your life, the more you’re exposing your teeth to this acid. Just as well, certain alcohols like wine have tannins that can stain your teeth if the enamel has been worn down enough by that same acidity.

Cigarettes

Here’s the worst on the list, and we probably don’t have to explain all the negative effects that smoking cigarettes has on your teeth. From gum disease to bad breath and cavities to sped up periodontitis, cigarettes are extremely bad for your oral health. And if we’re on the topic of tobacco in general, chewing tobacco is even worse.

Marijuana

Despite comparisons to cigarettes on health, marijuana actually doesn’t have any cancer-causing properties like cigarettes do. The only thing you’ll have to keep an eye out for with marijuana is cotton mouth. It’s easy to get a dry mouth when inhaling smoke, so having water handy to keep your mouth hydrated is a smart move. You don’t want bacteria having a hayday in your mouth just because it’s dry.

Psychedelic substances

Nothing of note here. For all the flak these drugs get from society in general, they’re actually some of the safest and least addictive things out there (yes, including everything on this list).