Pubdate: Wed, 07 Dec 2005
Source: Craig Daily Press, The (CO)
Copyright: 2005 The Craig Daily Press
Contact: http://www.craigdailypress.com/site/feedback
Website: http://www.craigdailypress.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2334
Author: Christina M. Currie, Daily Press Writer
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine)

DENTISTS SEEING SIGNS OF DRUG ABUSE

Police officers, judges and jails aren't the only ones feeling the 
effect of rising methamphetamine use in Moffat County. Area dentists 
report an increase in the number of patients whose teeth and gums are 
severely damaged by the drug.

"I see it a lot in jail patients, but not a lot in my practice," 
Craig dentist John Ilko said. "It's a different patient group, a 
different pool."

Signs of methamphetamine use are prevalent in a user's mouth. The 
toxic chemicals used to make the drug irritate and burn the skin 
inside the mouth, creating sores that lead to infection.

Chronic meth smokers have teeth rotted to the gum line from the 
continuous effect of the vapors on tooth enamel. The condition is 
referred to as "meth mouth." Even snorting meth causes chemical 
damage to teeth.

Toxic substances drain through the nasal passages and into the mouth, 
"bathing" the teeth.

Symptoms are fairly recognizable, Ilko said. Meth use leads to tooth 
decay, cracked teeth and gum disease. Although those are symptoms 
nearly anyone can have, they progress quickly in the mouths of meth 
users, Ilko said.

Saliva helps protect teeth from acidic substances, but meth use dries 
out the salivary glands. A

ccording to the South Dakota-based Meth Awareness and Prevention 
Project, meth users treat "cottonmouth" with lots of sugary soda, 
leading to tooth decay. Because the drug can make users feel anxious 
or nervous, causing them to clench or grind their teeth, regular meth 
users may develop cracks in their teeth.

"Generally, I don't get them until it's an emergency," he said.

Northwest Colorado Dental Clinic Director Debi Harmon said several of 
the clinic's clients show symptoms of meth use. "We're seeing it 
here," she said. "We don't have a lot of cases, but there are 
definitely some."

She plans to release a report in January that will include the number 
of patients who exhibited signs of meth use.

Meth mouth is showing up frequently and creating a new host of 
problems at the Moffat County Jail. Because of an increase in the 
number of inmates admitted on drug-related charges, jail officials 
have to budget for more funds each year to cover medical needs, jail 
administrator Dean Herndon said.

"Almost everybody who comes in here is on some kind of meth charge," 
he said. "'If you're spending money on a dentist, you can't spend 
money on meth."

In 2000, the jail's health care contract through Correction 
Healthcare was $4,000 a month, or about $48,000 a year. Jail 
officials expect health care costs to be $74,700 next year. Much of 
those costs are attributed to an increase in tooth extractions and 
oral surgery, Herndon said. About 16 years ago, the jail paid for an 
average of five tooth extractions a year. That number is up to about 
15 a year, at a cost of about $300 a tooth, he said.

After being released from jail, former inmates are required to repay 
the bills. But the jail receives only a fraction of the 
reimbursements it's owed, Herndon said.
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MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman