Your Dentist and Your Doctor May Disagree on Medicines for You

The elderly man's front tooth bore tooth decay

, a large black hole, which shocked the dentist completely. The man had heart medicine which he put under his upper lip because he had a bad experience when he put it under his tongue. These tablets created the hole in his tooth.

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. According to the oral medicine experts, doctors might not have a clue that these dental side effects exist, and if they do know, they're not telling.

Dentists should ask patients to tell them about what medicines they take and for what medical conditions, a dentist and pharmacologist said. He said you need to scrutinize each medicine and think about how it can affect their dental health.

Teachers at this week's ADA meeting, oral medicine specialists reveal what are said to be the top problems. Up to 20 percent of patients taking calcium channel blockers for high blood pressure and heart disease suffer gum swelling. Gum swelling and disease come about through the infiltation of bacteria in the gums through pockets caused by inflammation. These medicines include some of the nation's biggest selling drugs.

This kind of swelling can also be seen as effects of anti epilepsy drugs and amphetamines. Cyclosporin is a medication that organ transplant recipients take, and its side effects include massive gum overgrowth. According to the dentist, its appearance can be mistaken for the inflammation caused by leukemia.

A lot of drugs are responsible for causing dry mouth, which is also caused by radiation treatment. Dental problems result from lack of saliva, and those who don't have enough may need topical fluoride treatment. The dentist would usually tell the patient's doctor that if possible, he should change the calcium channel blockers prescription and switch it with another heart medicine.

If not, then regular trips to the dentist are in order, as well as strict plaque control. A dentist with a photograph of a patient with damaged teeth and gums said that such side effects would be no worry as long as the mouth is kept clean. Absence of plaque is the absence of any problem, he stated.

Because of swollen gums, only the tips of the teeth of a Dilantin patient could be seen in the photograph he showed. This condition could be minimized if the patient on Dilantin would see the dentist in 10 days so that the gum pockets could be treated, he said. Prescription drugs are not the only sources of dental problems. Sugar is found in over the counter lozenges, cough drops, and antacids.

There was always a repeated occurrence of cavities inside a woman's mouth every time. She rarely ate sweets and always brushed her teeth, so dentists were a bit confused. Later on, it was discovered by the receptionist that the woman was popping three packs of antacids into her mouth every day.

Your Dentist and Your Doctor May Disagree on Medicines for You

By: Vance Key

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