Side Effects That Could Affect Your Smile

10/04/2011

Some commonly-used medicines and vitamin supplements can affect our oral health in ways you might not expect.

Medicines are always good for you, right? Well, most of the time they are. They do the job they were prescribed to do, you get better and that’s the end of the story, Unfortunately, some medications, many that people have to take for years, have some unpleasant side effects, often affecting the appearance or health of our teeth and mouths.

Tablets and pills that are taken for a wide variety of conditions can have an impact on our oral health. Common medications for arthritis, high blood pressure, depression and kidney disease have side effects that include dry mouth, bad breath, tooth discolouration and even an increased risk of tooth decay.

These side effects are rare and most people will be able to take these vital medications without suffering any of the symptoms listed above. It is worth thinking about what tablets or medicines you are taking if you find you are developing new problems with your oral health. If you have just started taking a new tablet or recently changed medication, it would definitely be worth mentioning the oral health problems to your doctor – or the medication change to your dentist – to see if that could be responsible for the symptoms you are suffering.

In order to be prepared for these kind of side effects, make sure you read the information leaflets that come with all medications, to find out if oral health problems are likely to occur. Your dentist will usually ask you what medication you are taking when you sign up with the clinic, so it is important that you keep staff informed about any additions or changes, so your file is as up-to-date as possible. Whether you are afflicted with dry mouth syndrome or tooth discolouration, there will be steps that your dentist will be able to take to help relieve the symptoms or reverse the damage.

Contact the staff at Kensington Dental if you are concerned about any oral health symptoms you think may be caused by medication.