When people use cocaine, it can make them lose weight, have a runny nose, feel more energetic, get easily annoyed, and not need as much sleep. However, there are also less obvious ways cocaine can harm your jaw, causing pain and damaging your teeth. In this article, we will look at how cocaine affects your jaw and mouth.
What Is Coke Jaw
Cocaine is a strong stimulant drug that makes your body go faster, and this can make your jaw clench and your teeth become loose because your mouth muscles twitch strangely.
People with coke jaw might grind their teeth and move their mouths strangely.
Even if someone stops using cocaine or is not high anymore, they can still have coke jaw if they used it for a long time.
Effects of Using Cocaine Too Much
Besides coke jaw, here are some things that can happen when you use cocaine for a short time:
- Feeling super happy
- Having a nosebleed
- Having a runny nose
- Blood pressure going up
- Blood vessels getting narrow
- Mood changing a lot
If you use cocaine for a long time, these things can happen:
- Your mental health getting worse
- Having psychosis (losing touch with reality)
- Losing weight
- Getting addicted to it
Coke Mouth: Dental Issues Caused by Cocaine Use
Sadly, coke jaw is just the start of many dental problems caused by using cocaine, such as:
Teeth Grinding
Teeth grinding, called bruxism, is the main reason why people have jaw pain after using cocaine. When someone has bruxism, they grind or clench their teeth, even while sleeping. Some people might not even notice they do it.
But those with coke jaw have more intense teeth grinding, which can lead to broken teeth, worn enamel, and tooth decay.
Dry Mouth
Using crack cocaine can make your mouth dry because it reduces the amount of saliva. Having a dry mouth might not seem like a big deal, but if it lasts a long time, it can lead to:
- Tooth decay (your teeth can rot)
- Gums bleeding
- Gum disease (your gums can get really sick).
Holes in the Roof of Your Mouth
When people snort cocaine through their nose, it makes the blood vessels in their nose narrow down. This lack of blood flow can lead to tissue death, which means the cells and tissues start to die because they don’t get enough blood.
Sadly, this tissue death can’t be reversed. When it happens, the roof of your mouth starts to break down, making it really difficult to swallow, eat, or even talk.
Periodontitis
If people put cocaine on their gums, it can make their gums swell up and become infected more easily. Gum tissue is important because it helps keep your teeth healthy and in place. But when you have gum disease, your gums shrink back, and that makes it easier for your teeth to come out.
Dental Erosion
Tooth damage happens when acids eat away at the surface of your teeth and make them weak. Cocaine powder is very acidic, and it can harm your teeth by removing their protective layer and inner tissue.
Temporomandibular Disorders (TMD)
There are different jaw problems that are part of something called TMD. People who use cocaine often have these problems because coke jaw makes their jaw move a lot. Signs of TMD include:
- Not being able to open your mouth much
- Pain in your jaw joint
- Your jaw making clicking or popping sounds
- Getting headaches
- Having sore face muscles
- Feeling your face throbbing.
How to Treat Coke Jaw
Coke jaw is not just a teeth problem; it’s a problem caused by using drugs. To get better and stop the jaw issues, you need to quit using cocaine.
The good news is that if you stop using cocaine, some of the jaw problems should get better by themselves.
If you need more help, dentists can use things like dental bridges, implants, or dentures to fix your mouth and jaw.
The first step to getting better is to find a good program to help with your drug problem. There are different ways to treat cocaine addiction, including:
Medical Detox: Medical detox is an important part of beating drug and alcohol addiction. It offers constant care and help for people who are getting rid of drugs or alcohol from their bodies. This keeps them away from things that might make them want to use drugs. Medical detox also uses medicines to ease some of the tough withdrawal symptoms.
Inpatient Treatment: In inpatient treatment, people live at a recovery center for a set amount of time. This helps them get the treatment they need for their drug problem without being around things that might make them want to use drugs. They also learn important skills to help them stay clean when they go back to their normal life.
Outpatient Treatment: Outpatient treatment lets people keep up with their work, home, and school responsibilities while getting treatment in the evenings and on weekends. This kind of treatment uses therapy, support groups, and medications to help people break free from addiction.
Signs of Cocaine Addiction
If you’re concerned that you or someone you care about might be hooked on cocaine, look out for these signs:
- Strong desire for the drug
- Often having nosebleeds
- A nose that keeps running all the time
- Losing weight quickly without trying
- Not feeling motivated to do things
- Ignoring important tasks at home, work, or school
- Pulling away from family, friends, and hobbies
- Needing more and more cocaine to get the same feeling
- Feeling bad when trying to stop or cut down on using cocaine
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