Yukon dentists who are dealing with what they suspect is damage from crystal meth use say they are seeing more cases all the time.

Users of the chemical concoction of household products often suffer massive tooth decay and gum damage — referred to as "meth mouth," Dr. Mandy Sinclair said in an interview Tuesday.

'Rampant decay, black and brown. It's pretty obvious. You could see it from across the street.'- Whitehorse dentist Mandy Sinclair

Crystal meth users experience extremely dry mouths, crave excessive amounts of sugar and grind their teeth, she said.

"Rampant decay, black and brown. It's pretty obvious," she said. "You could see it from across the street."

In the past year-and-a-half, Sinclair said, she has seen about 15 patients suffering from the effects of crystal meth use.

"One patient had every tooth pulled in their mouth and ended up in dentures."

Another 24-year-old woman's teeth were ruined even though she had just recently had her braces taken off, she said.

Whitehorse dentist Colin Nash said he also pulled an entire set of teeth from a young Alaskan man in his 30s who used drugs.

"Most of them were just kind of mushy little stumps — just the roots left," he said.

"If I do suspect it's something, you know, you try to work it into the conversation with the patient. You ask them: 'Can all this decay I'm seeing be from drug abuse?' Either they're going to tell you the truth or they're not."

Both dentists said that unless the patients admit to using crystal meth, they cannot be 100 per cent certain, but usually the signs of meth mouth are obvious.