DENTIST SHOWS STUDENTS EFFECTS OF METH ON MOUTHS

EAST WENATCHEE - High-schooler Luis Ramirez has seen the effects of
methamphetamine firsthand through a family member.

When his cousin began taking meth, 16-year-old Ramirez noticed a
change in his attitude and decided to stay away.

"I think at this point, there's nothing I can really do for him," he
said.

Dr. Lucas Mesdag, DDS, gave a lecture at Eastmont High School in East
Wenatchee Friday to inform students about meth, hopefully before they
try it.

Mesdag began giving the presentations two years ago because he didn't
know much about methamphetamine use when he arrived in Wenatchee. He
said he saw many patients who used meth, so he wanted to inform
himself and others about the effects, he said.

"I don't know much about drugs," said Tyler Graves, a 15-year-old
sophomore. "I just know it's a drug that eventually can kill you."

Graves was like many students in the high school class. One student
asked his friend what meth was before the presentation began.

Meth is a highly addictive drug that comes in several forms, including
powder, crystal, rocks and tablets, according to the National
Institute of Drug Abuse. It can be snorted, smoked, swallowed or
injected. Long-term effects include paranoia, hallucinations,
delusions and severe dental problems.

To get his point across, Mesdag included many pictures in his
presentation of local meth users who have bad oral hygiene. When he
showed the pictures, there was a loud shriek in the room.

When meth users have bad oral health, it is called "meth mouth,"
according to the American Dental Association. Meth can have a
devastating effect on teeth because of dry mouth, poor hygiene, high
consumption of carbonated drinks, and teeth grinding and clenching.

Nationwide, 6.2 percent of students have used meth one or more times
during their life, according to a 2004 survey on drug use and health
by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.

"Fortunately, most kids don't ever use it," Mesdag said. "But, we have
teenagers in our clinic who are meth users."

After the lecture, many students said they knew more about meth than
they knew before entering the auditorium.

Ramirez said he didn't understand why students would want to try the
drug even once.

"If you got a bright future ahead of you, like sports, a family, a
job, I don't see why you should use it," he said. "All you're doing is
pretty much killing yourself."