Forget teeth whitening. Forget porcelain veneers. Oftentimes, all a dentist can do for someone with the rampant decay that is know as meth mouth is dig out the remaining tooth roots and replace them with dental implants or dentures.

I first read about meth mouth a few years ago in the local newspaper of the Midwestern town where I worked. The photos showed the teeth of methamphetamine addicts, all crooked and cracked, looking like acid had eaten away at them. In some cases, only little black stubs remained. Some meth addicts even report having teeth that are the texture of ripe fruit. No kidding – ripe fruit.

It’s not really the chemicals in the drug that cause the decay, but rather the lifestyle and physiological changes that meth use leads to. Methamphetamine causes a dry mouth, chronic teeth grinding and clenching, and a craving for sugary sodas - one man said that he drank nearly 50 cans of Mountain Dew every day! All this along with a complete lack of dental hygiene leads to the dental problems known as meth mouth. Even worse, while they are taking the drug, most users don’t feel the pain that cracked teeth and abscesses cause, so they don’t seek treatment. Some finally get the treatment they need in prison, but then taxpayers end up financing it. In recent years, an increase in meth-related dental problems has been a burden on many prison systems, eating up most of their dental care budgets so that regular cleanings and basic fillings are never performed.

Although I don’t really know what we can do about all of this – except to stay away from meth – I do know one thing for sure. I wouldn’t want my teeth to be the consistency of a cantaloupe.