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Your Dentist and Your Doctor May Disagree on Medicines for You

By: MarilynB Carson

The elderly man's front tooth bore tooth decay, a large black hole, which shocked the dentist completely. Because he gagged when he put his prescribed nitroglycerine tablets under his tongue, he decided to put it under his upper lip instead. These tablets created the hole in his tooth.

According to oral medicine specialists, dozens of the medicines which Americans take are actually sources of tooth decay and gum disease. The oral experts state that it's possible that doctors are ignorant of the side effects or they know about them but don't tell the patients.

One piece of advice a dentist and pharmacologist gives to co oral specialists is that they should ask their patients about their medications. He wants dentists to ask how these medicines affect their patients' dental health as they go through each medicine.

Oral medicine specialists say that the following are the top problematic drug side effects. Around 20% of those who take calcium channel blockers also have gum swelling. Inflammation makes openings that allow bacteria to get in and cause gum swelling and disease. These medicines are some of the biggest selling drugs around.

Anti epilepsy drugs and amphetamines are the source of other swellings as well. Cyclosporin is a drug used to prevent organ rejection and this can cause massive gum overgrowth. There is a similarity between the leukemia's gum inflammation and the inflammation caused by cyclosporin.

A lot of drugs are responsible for causing dry mouth, which is also caused by radiation treatment. Those who don't have enough saliva may need topical fluoride treatment because they are prone to various dental problems. 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.

He said that trips to the dentist have to be done every two months and strict plaque control must be implemented if this cannot be done. 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. If no plaque can be found in the mouth, then there's nothing to worry about, he said.

The only visible part of the front teeth of the Dilantin patient in the photo he showed was the tips because of swollen gums. 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. Dental problem sources include prescription drugs, but there are still more to be aware of. Full of sugar, over the counter lozenges and cough drops are also among the concerns of dentists.

He is reminded of a woman who kept on having cavities. She did not eat sweets so much and brushed her teeth regularly, and this made dentists wonder. The receptionist found out later on that this woman was actually taking antacid in huge amounts every day.

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