Many people don’t realize that not only over- the-counter or prescribed medications can affect your oral health, but also vitamins, minerals and herbal medications can have a negative effect on your oral health. Most common side effects from medications that affect oral health include:
- Dry mouth could be cause by various prescribed and over-the-counter medications. Antihistamine, decongestants, painkillers, high blood pressure medications, muscle relaxants, Parkinson’s disease medications, antidepressants and many more. Tooth decay, cavities, and other major oral health problems may arise without the cleansing effects of saliva.
- Abnormal bleeding usually occurs during oral surgery or any procedure that involves bleeding. To prevent blood clot, the doctor should be aware of all medications taken.
- Altered taste in the mouth, such as, a bitter or metallic taste.
- Inflammation
- Mouth sores
- Discoloration of the soft tissue in your mouth
- Enlarged gums
- Cavities- occur as a result of tooth decay.
- Teeth and color changes
- Bone loss
- Thrush or an oral yeast infection (Thrush is an infection of the mouth cause by the Candida fungus, also known as yeast)
Since many patients take medications, both prescribed and non prescribed, dentists always should take a thorough medical history so that they can be aware of medication-related problems and the impact of medications on diagnosis and treatment planning.
<http://www.ada.org/sections/scienceAndResearch/pdfs/patient_51.pdf> Jada, Vol.136 www.ada.org/goto/jada, June 2005, pg: 831.
