Medications and Dental Care — Their Relationship

Prevent Dental Problems by Letting Your Dentist Know About Medications

Medications and dental care go hand in hand, if you want to protect your oral health. The reason is: medications that you buy on your own and medications that a doctor prescribes for you often have oral side effects.

Dry Mouth

Many medications lead to dry mouth. Dry mouth is simply a lack of saliva. Saliva has an important function for oral health. The reason saliva is important is that it helps neutralize the acids produced by bacteria. It also prevents food from collecting around and between your teeth.

When you have dry mouth, plaque can build up and make you atrisk for developing cavities and gum disease.

In addition, people who use inhalers for breathing sometimes develop dry mouth. Inhalers introduce medication into your mouth than can dry it out. In addition, sometimes inhaler use leads to thrush, which is a fungal infection in the mouth that appears as white spots. Thrush can be painful. One way to avoid it is to rinse your mouth after you use an inhaler.

Rinsing your mouth and drinking water can also help you deal with dry mouth.

Cancer Treatment Medications and Dental Care

According to the American Dental Association (ADA), cancer treatments sometimes affect your mouth, teeth and gums. It’s wise to visit your dentist before beginning treatment to make sure your oral health is good. In some instances, your dentist can prescribe treatments or speak with your physician when planning treatment. Dentists need to know what medications you’re taking anyway because some drugs interact with others in an adverse way.

Also, if you receive bone-strengthening drugs to counteract osteoporosis, in some cases, though rare, it can result in jaw problems.

Do You Have Concerns about Your Oral Health?

At Hutto Hippo Family Dental, our dentists can help you stay on top of dental care and coordinate proper dental treatments with other medical treatment.