Dana L. Yeoman, DDS
Dentures and Implants
Meth Mouth
Site last published: 11/10/11
Meth and the Smile the Bride Deserves...Can the two become one?
I have been noticing an unusual trend in my office. My practice is primarily dentures and partials, so it breaks my heart that a growing number of young patients have shocking tooth decay. Though they are young, they have little choice but to have their teeth removed and replaced with dentures.
My heart was heavy when a girl began treatment with me five months after her wedding. Her wedding album was full of closed-mouth grins instead of the radiant smiles of a bride. Though starting a new life with a new man, a new direction, and a new hope, she was hiding the shame of the personal neglect that came with her life's choices. Her tattered smile was the last remaining shackle to her old life in a world of drugs and abuse. Even though she had been clean for a long time, she still couldn't shed the image of an addict every time she opened her mouth to speak. Hiding her teeth, even in her wedding photos, was her way to cope with the shame.
"Meth Mouth" is becoming a common dental term. It describes the extreme decay and deterioration of teeth brought on by the use of Methamphetamines. On the street, the drug is called Meth, Speed, Ice, Crank, Glass, and Crystal. It is cheaper and easier to obtain than Cocaine, and the high lasts around 12 hours rather than Cocaine’s one. Needless to say, Meth is a popular drug. As the number of users increases, so does the devastation. According to the American Dental Association, Meth rots teeth quickly by causing dry mouth, cravings for soda, tooth grinding, clenching, and long periods of self-neglect.
Part of my patient’s recovery and break from her past was starting over with a new smile. My goal was to make her look so natural that people who had never met her before would not even suspect she was wearing a denture. People who do know her well often give compliments on how lovely she looks. She tells me she has never known what it is like to be beautiful. Working hard to give her the smile she deserves, her outward appearance finally matches the beauty of her inward person. When she smiles, she shines.
Soon after, another young girl stepped into my office asking, "Can you take my teeth out and give me a denture before my wedding? It's in eleven days." You can bet we were on it in a flash. Thanks to the extra hard work put in by my team, her wedding album glows with the brilliance and confidence of an extraordinary bride.
Dana L. Yeoman, D.D.S.
Second Smile Denture Care
3301 19th Street
Bakersfield, CA 93301
Tel: 661-325-1263
I have been noticing an unusual trend in my office. My practice is primarily dentures and partials, so it breaks my heart that a growing number of young patients have shocking tooth decay. Though they are young, they have little choice but to have their teeth removed and replaced with dentures.
My heart was heavy when a girl began treatment with me five months after her wedding. Her wedding album was full of closed-mouth grins instead of the radiant smiles of a bride. Though starting a new life with a new man, a new direction, and a new hope, she was hiding the shame of the personal neglect that came with her life's choices. Her tattered smile was the last remaining shackle to her old life in a world of drugs and abuse. Even though she had been clean for a long time, she still couldn't shed the image of an addict every time she opened her mouth to speak. Hiding her teeth, even in her wedding photos, was her way to cope with the shame.
"Meth Mouth" is becoming a common dental term. It describes the extreme decay and deterioration of teeth brought on by the use of Methamphetamines. On the street, the drug is called Meth, Speed, Ice, Crank, Glass, and Crystal. It is cheaper and easier to obtain than Cocaine, and the high lasts around 12 hours rather than Cocaine’s one. Needless to say, Meth is a popular drug. As the number of users increases, so does the devastation. According to the American Dental Association, Meth rots teeth quickly by causing dry mouth, cravings for soda, tooth grinding, clenching, and long periods of self-neglect.
Part of my patient’s recovery and break from her past was starting over with a new smile. My goal was to make her look so natural that people who had never met her before would not even suspect she was wearing a denture. People who do know her well often give compliments on how lovely she looks. She tells me she has never known what it is like to be beautiful. Working hard to give her the smile she deserves, her outward appearance finally matches the beauty of her inward person. When she smiles, she shines.
Soon after, another young girl stepped into my office asking, "Can you take my teeth out and give me a denture before my wedding? It's in eleven days." You can bet we were on it in a flash. Thanks to the extra hard work put in by my team, her wedding album glows with the brilliance and confidence of an extraordinary bride.
Dana L. Yeoman, D.D.S.
Second Smile Denture Care
3301 19th Street
Bakersfield, CA 93301
Tel: 661-325-1263