Meth users often have decay in their mouths, and it could be costing taxpayers as jails and prisons are forced to fix those teeth.Some may consider the images in the video above as the best defense to keep kids off drugs. As a warning, though, some may find them graphic in nature. Viewer discretion is advised.VIDEO: Prisoners with meth mouth could be costing taxpayersA meth user’s teeth begin to disintegrate. It’s called meth mouth. Dentists at the Metropolitan Detention Center see it every day, have seen immigrants coming to the U.S. from a third-world-country with fewer dental problems than those who grew up in Albuquerque, had access to good care but got tangled up with meth.It often looks like the teeth have been melted by acid.It’s estimated nearly a third of inmates have decaying teeth from drug use, and repairing or removing those teeth takes up roughly half of the jails’ and prisons’ dental budgets.The Metropolitan Detention Center doesn’t spend money on replacing teeth, but it has a full-time dentist on staff and most of his work is pulling rotten teeth.Local dentists Steve Wagner and Charlie Tatlock are credited with being the first to have a breakthrough study on meth mouth. They’ve been featured on the front page of the New York Times as well as the Discovery Channel.They found it wasn’t the meth doing the damage.“When they were using meth they didn't care about anything but their addiction,” said Tatlock, in regards to the study. “They didn't brush their teeth didn't floss -- their personal hygiene and personal health behaviors just went out the way side.”Years of addiction and poor hygiene lead to a lack of saliva, food sticking to teeth and a craving for carbohydrates, according to Tatlock and Wagner.MDC currently pays $12 million a year for medical and dental costs.More than meth: Faces of drug arrests