When you are admitted to a hospital to get treatment for a certain disease, the doctor will obviously prescribe some drugs that can remedy the illness that you are suffering from. Although you will eventually be cured or at least be able to manage the condition (if it’s a chronic ailment), the medicine that you could be taking might leave you with negative side effects. And since most of the drugs are ingested into the body through the mouth, it’s your dentals that will bear the most damage. The damage can actually be severe if you prefer to break huge tablets into smaller pieces using your teeth. But even those that swallow their medicine as one piece are not spared. This is because the medicine still ends up causing acid reflux that exposes their dentals to the chemicals that are found in prescription drugs.
How the Damage Happens
1. Dry Mouth: The damage that’s caused by prescription drugs happens gradually. The good thing is that it’s easy to identify the symptoms. The most common symptom is unusual dryness in the mouth. This dryness happens because the chemical composition of the drugs interferes with the normal flow of saliva in the mouth. In case you didn’t know, saliva protects your dentals by keeping the population of bacteria that are found in the mouth in check. The other role of saliva is that it neutralizes any acids that flow back into the mouth due to acid reflux. If there is little or no saliva in the mouth, the acids will eventually damage teeth enamel which in return make them vulnerable to decaying due to bacterial attacks.
2. Discoloration of Teeth: When teeth are exposed to bacteria and acidity, they are likely to lose their usual brightness. This is because they get stained by the bacteria. In fact, the discoloration paves way for the buildup of plaque.
3. Soreness and Bleeding: Whether you take pain killers, decongestants or high blood pressure medicine, they are more likely to affect your gums in the long run. For a start, your gums will feel sore and tender. And if the condition persists, the gum will start bleeding even when you are not brushing your teeth.
Prevention of Dental Damages
If the medicine that you take is for managing a chronic condition such as arthritis, diabetes, high blood pressure or asthma, you can’t just stop using them because you may not survive without them. Despite that, you must observe high standards of oral hygiene to keep your teeth looking good. Here is a list of the things that you should do to counter the damages that are caused by prescription medicine.
1. Brush your Teeth Daily: This one is a no brainer. You must brush your teeth at least twice per day. If possible, you should brush them after every meal. And for the sake of achieving a thorough cleanliness, you should replace your toothbrush after three months. This is because the bristles weaken after many uses, meaning they are not able to remove tough stains that are on the teeth.
2. Floss your Teeth: Most people assume that brushing teeth twice a day is all they have to do to keep their oral health in check. In fact, brushing alone is not enough. This is because there are some places that can’t be cleaned with a brush. With flossing string, you will be able to clean all the corners of individual teeth and save them from the decay that’s triggered by accumulated bacteria. It’s also important you rinse your teeth with a mouth wash solution after flossing. This helps in eliminating particles of bacteria that might have been left behind.
3. Visit a Dentist Regularly: It’s important you get used to going for dental checkups every six months. The advantage is that the dentist will be able to identify and remedy problems before they worsen. For instance, if a tooth has already decayed, the dentist will be able to pull it out and replace it with a bridge. For more insights on oral care, please visit a dentist’s webside.
