One year ago, Congress defunded public media. Now that we're 100% community funded, please become a sustaining member or increase your existing membership today.
'Meth Mouth' Strains Prison Health-Care Budgets
Dr. Chris Heringlake, a dentist at the St. Cloud Correctional Facility in Minnesota, first saw "meth mouth" eight years ago. His dental colleagues on the outside couldn't imagine what he was describing. Now the dentist works on meth mouths every day.
Listen
0:00
Listen
In just a few years, the use of the drug methamphetamine has spread to all corners of the country, from rural farm towns, to suburbs and now to inner cities. Costs for cracking down on meth abuse are straining small-town law enforcement -- and taking their toll on state prisons, too.
Meth is made from hydrochloric acid. When users smoke meth, the acid in the drug erodes their tooth enamel. The drug also leaves users dehydrated and craving sweets. Add up a loss of tooth enamel, a constant sweet tooth and a disregard for brushing, and you end up with teeth that are little more than little black stubs -- a condition known as "meth mouth."
As more and more meth abusers end up behind bars, prisons are having to devote a growing portion of their health-care budgets to emergency dental care. The problem is costing prisons and taxpayers a fortune.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. 9(MDA1OTI3MjQ5MDEyODUwMTE2MzM1YzNmZA004))
One year ago, Congress voted to defund public media, eliminating a critical $1.7 million from our budget every year going forward. But they couldn’t silence us, and we’re not going anywhere. LAist is now 100% community funded and that means we’re taking our future into our own hands and turning to you to keep local reporting strong.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
