The elderly man had tooth decay like the dentist had never seen before, a large black hole on the outside of one of his two front teeth. The man was taking medicine for his heart which he placed under his upper lip instead of under his tongue. The hole in his tooth was formed because of them.

Hundreds of medicines that Americans take every day, from the country’s most popular blood pressure pills to chewable vitamin C tablets, can cause serious tooth decay and gum disease, oral medicine experts told the American Dental Association. The specialists also say that doctors either don’t know that these medicines can damage the teeth or leave their patients ignorant of this fact. You will find info on sedation dentistry sydney by visiting that site.

Dentists should ask patients to tell them about what medicines they take and for what medical conditions, a dentist and pharmacologist said. He wants dentists to ask how these medicines affect their patients’ dental health as they go through each medicine.

Oral medicine specialists present the following information on the top problematic side effects of medicines.Calcium channel blockers, which are prescribed for high blood pressure, has gum swelling as a side effect, which affects 20% of the patients who take them. Gum swelling and disease come about through the infiltation of bacteria in the gums through pockets caused by inflammation. These medicines are widely used around the nation.

Medications to prevent epilepsy attacks and to treat hyperactivity also create similar types of swelling. A drug used by organ transplant recipients, cyclosporin can cause massive gum swelling. He states that it looks quite similar to leukemia caused gum inflammation. You will find that further information on pain free dentistry is on that site.

More than 400 drugs can cause a side effect known as dry mouth, which is apparent in radiation treatment patients. Topical fluoride treatment might be necessary for people who don’t have enough saliva since they are prone to dental problems and infections. If the doctor prescribed calcium channel blockers for the patient, the dentist will ask the doctor if it is possible to give another heart medicine in place of these drugs that cause dental problems.

If it is impossible, the patients must see the dentist frequently and their plaque buildup must be monitored. Another dentist pointed out that to avoid the side effects of these drugs, all you need to do is make sure your mouth is kept clean.He says that you will have no problem to worry about if there’s no plaque.

Because of swollen gums, only the tips of the teeth of a Dilantin patient could be seen in the photograph he showed. If you have patients going on Dilantin, getting them to the dentist in 10 days can minimize that condition, by treating gum pockets where bacteria lurks, he advised. Prescription drugs are not the only sources of dental problems. Another problem would be over the counter lozenges and cough drops which contain sugar.

For one woman, new cavities showing up almost every time was a problem.Dentists were confused by what they saw because they knew that the woman made tooth brushing a habit, and hardly ate sweets. Eventually, after the receptionist reported the woman popping pills, it was discovered that the woman sucked on a lot of antacid every day.

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