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Medications are there to help relieve symptoms or prevent further problems. But sometimes medications can end up causing further problems, by way of side effects.

Any type of medications we take—including prescription meds, over-the-counter medications, vitamins, minerals, supplements and herbal preparations—can have such adverse reactions. This happens because the human body is an intricate system made up of numerous interrelated systems that work as a whole—when something affects one part of it, other parts too may be affected. You can read more about the mouth-body connection in the FreeDentistFinder.com article archive.

Here are some common ways in which medications may affect our oral health:

• Abnormal bleeding – Aspirin and anticoagulant meds like heparin and warfarin may cause reduced blood clotting, which can be an issue during dental surgery or in treating gum disease.
• Change in taste sensations – A metallic taste in the mouth or a change in taste perception may occur with stimulants for the central nervous system, cardiovascular drugs, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and respitory inhalants. Nicotine skin patches and some cancer treatments may also have this effect.
• Mouth sores, inflammation or discoloration – Use of blood pressure control medications, immune-suppressants, chemotherapy drugs and oral contraceptives may lead to mouth ulcers and swelling.
• Enlargement of gum tissue – Antiseizure medications (phenytoin), calcium channel blocking meds for heart patients (nifedipine, verapamil, diltiazem and amlodipine) and immunosuppressants may lead to gingival overgrowth (enlargement of gum tissue).
• Dry mouth – Many prescription and over-the-counter medications are known to cause dry mouth as a side effect. These include antidepressants, pain killers, antihistamines, decongestants, blood pressure medications, muscle relaxants, drugs for urinary incontinence and for treating Parkinsons’s disease are in this group.
• Tooth decay – Liquid medications like cough drops, vitamins anti-fungal agents and antacid tablets contain sugar and can be the cause of tooth decay if special care is not taken. Using sugar free alternatives, taking medications with food and rinsing the mouth afterwards can diminish the risk of tooth decay significantly.
• Burning mouth syndrome – Burning mouth syndrome causes chronic burning pain in the mouth, affecting tongue, lips, gums and inside cheeks and roof of mouth, with varied intensity. High blood pressure medications called angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors are known to trigger the condition.

This is not an exhaustive list. There are so many types of medications and many of them have side effects.

You can find out more on this topic, and on how to minimize negative oral health effects resulting from medications in the FreeDentistFinder.com article, Medications and Oral Health.

More information on dental care, dental problems and treatments can be found in the FreeDentistFinder.com article archive.

If you need to find a dentist in your area, just search through the FreeDentistFinder.com national directory of dentists. You can find a dentist by searching with zip code and by dental specialty.

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 One response to “Some Medications Are Bad For Your Oral Health”

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    Orthodontist in Calgary wrote:
  

  Some medications can be harmful not only for our dental health but also for oral health as well. They are helpful to find out the signs of disease at initial level. So at least, we will be aware what dental disease we can have.

  22 June, 2012 @ 11:40

   

  

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