Many prescription medicines can have side effects that affect your oral health.
Have you taken tetracycline for acne or an infection? Or Nexium for heartburn? Millions of people take medicine every day to treat health problems. Even though these medicines are approved by the FDA and help manage disease, they can sometimes affect other parts of your body, including your oral health.
How Medication Side Effects Can Affect Oral Health
Teeth stains
When you take certain medications, they can leave color behind on your teeth or change the color of the tooth itself. This can happen when the medicine stays in your mouth or affects how your teeth develop. For example, one of the ingredients used in tetracycline, a medication used for acne treatment, can discolor teeth and the underlying bone.
Dry mouth
You might experience dry mouth when taking some medications because they reduce the amount of saliva your body makes. This happens because the medicine affects the glands in your mouth that normally produce spit. More than 400 medications list dry mouth as a side effect, including: GLP-1 medications and oxycodone, a common severe pain reliever.
Mouth lesions or ulcers
If a medicine makes your mouth dry or irritates the tissue, it can cause painful sores or ulcers. That’s because the medicine irritates the lining of your mouth and weakens your immune system. Some antibiotics and pain medicines like ibuprofen can cause sores or ulcers in the mouth. Luckily, these sores usually go away 1–2 weeks after you stop taking the medicine.
Swollen gums
Some medicines can make your gums swollen and bigger because they cause extra gum tissue to grow or make your gums react more to plaque. This happens because the medicine affects how your gum cells grow and heal, so your gums may look larger and puffier than normal. Channel blockers, like Diltiazem, are medicines that help control high blood pressure and other health problems. These medicines can sometimes make the gums grow too much, which can lead to serious gum disease.
Inflamed Gums
Inflamed gums are irritated and may be red, sore or painful. Medication can cause inflamed gums because it can make your gums more sensitive or change how your body reacts to bacteria and plaque. Some birth control pills, like the Minipill, only contain progesterone. These pills raise progesterone in your body and can make your gums react more to plaque, causing them to become inflamed.
Tooth decay
Cough drops, sugary liquid medicines and antacid tablets can leave sticky residue on teeth that can cause tooth decay. Tooth decay happens when germs in your mouth eat sugar from food and drinks and make acid. That acid slowly wears away your tooth enamel, causing holes or cavities. Tooth decay can be a bigger problem for children who can’t swallow pills.
When to Talk to Your Dentist About Medication Side Effects
If you’re not sure whether your medicine can hurt your mouth or teeth, ask your pharmacist or look it up on drugs.com. If you find a side effect that worries you, talk to your doctor and your dentist. Don’t stop taking your medicine without talking to them first! Many times, just letting your doctor and dentist know can help prevent long-term problems.
