Oxycontin Damaged My Teeth (Page 18)
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Has anyone else known oxycontin to rot the teeth? I used to be on vicodin until my doctor told me I needed to switch to a morphine based meds. She put me on ms contin but I had problems with it so she put me on 80mg oxycontin. Eventually my body built up a tolerance so she kept raising it, i have am now on from 4-6 per day of the 80mg tabs. It scares me that this is what rotted my teeth because only 5 yrs ago i had only 2 cavities that needed filling and then only 1 yr after going on the oxycontin i had to have all my top front teeth pulled as they where rotting from the inside out the dentist said my mouth looked like a heroin addict's mouth looks. He said it was shocking to him that normally he only saw such damage from someone who abused drugs with so much dental damage, but i have never done any street drugs and have only take my meds as prescribed to me. Now i have lost 80% of my teeth and as a beautiful 41 yr old mother its devastating. I cant afford dentures and sure cant afford implants like i would like to have. I am a single mother and refuse to date because i have lost my teeth now, i had beautiful teeth before i started on the oxycontin and only 2 small cavities that needed filling. Does anyone else have this same problem and if so why hasn't the company making oxycontin warn patients of this possible problem?

If i had known this would cause me to lose most of my teeth i would have never agreed to go on it. Of course my family doctor who has been prescribing them tells me she hasn't heard of any other cases, yet when i researched the med online there where others like this why hasn't something been put in the warnings about this med, i sure would have preferred to have lived in pain the rest of my life rather than lose my teeth and be unable to even eat now. My health has gone downhill fast as i cant even chew foods necessary for good health. All I can eat now are yogurts, and liquid type of foods which isn't much. My kids are 7 and 9 yrs old and they watch me cry when we go out to eat and they order steak, and i can smell it but can't order one as i know i wont be able to chew it. This is so devastating for me. I want teeth so badly if i could wish for anything in life besides not to be poor anymore it would be to have a full set of real teeth or implants but i could never dream of having them, and i don't know anyone out there willing to just help me get any either. I have always helped others all my life, but cant even help myself, i have had to have 29 surgeries now since 1991 when a drunk driver hit my car and caused me major injuries with my lower back and knees, i have had a full lower back fusion and 8 arthroscopic knee surgeries until a year ago they finally had to do a full right knee replacement and now they are talking about doing my left knee soon.

So my life has been up and down with surgeries and i would go thru one more surgery just to have teeth implanted if i could. but i could never afford it, but i would like to know why these drug manufacturers are making a medication that could cause teeth to rot like this without warning us patients or even warning the doctors about it. This is just terrible of them i think, as now i am the one paying for this by having no teeth to eat with at such a young age now. I am a vibrant young 41 yr old at 5'3, 120lbs, slim woman, nice looking too as i was a model in my younger days, so i keep my looks up. But to have no teeth now... I never smile anymore, I am to ashamed to smile even though it wasn't my fault i lost my teeth. I think they should pay for me to have new teeth but no one wants to admit that the med causes it, but my diet wasn't the problem back when i started the medication and i wasn't drinking coca-cola either or doing street drugs so i know that wasn't the cause either. The only thing that changed within one year to cause this was starting the oxycontin medication. Well, if anyone out there can help me let me know thanks.

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Christine I am posting regularly mostly less specific posts thanks.

The supplements won't help it's not strengthening it's less saliva and the lack of which eats away and causes erosion.

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What about taking calcium supplements and biotin to help strengthen your bones and teeth while on meds?

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Thanks for the information and welcome too our forum@

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Christine I am a P450 ultra rapid opioid metabolizer and have been on patches over 15 years the same thing will occur. Further reduction and withdrawal is worse then methadone.

The new FDA 120 mg. morphine equivalent rule has all physicians even if you can die from pain which I can (I have progressed to Central Pain Syndrome so improper pain control inflames the brain causing permanent irreversible damage) will not fix this mandate. I literally have DNA proof.

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Everyone I am a professional nurse and published researcher.

Any DRUG in particular opioids, antidepressants, and some of the ridiculous anti seizure medications used for pain (which only increase your seizure threshold and cause weight gain like Neurontin) will REDUCE saliva which causes extreme dental erosion.

Get your pain specialist and dentist to document this for your WC and PIP insurers to pay for the high cost of all the work you will need.

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How are you doing Angela? I see this post is from 2008. People that have never experienced chronic moderate - severe pain are very lucky. We un-lucky ones know the truth. They have no idea what we live with every day. Just shake it off and grow a thicker hide. F***-em.

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Erica ALL opioids reduce saliva which over time leads to dental erosion.

If you are injured and in pain secondary (taking medications for injury pain for example) your insurer should
be paying your dental work and restoration.

We all face this on opioid therapy it is not just this drug ALL of them.

Peace out!

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If you choose to start OxyContin then I know no matter what I say matters but from personal experience and working in detox facility for years I'm just saying the drug is Big Trouble!!! You start on one dose and inevitably everyone needs it increased more than once. And still take more than prescribed. It doesn't meen anyone doing that is a bad person, it's just the grip Oxys get on everyone. Most all intend to take as prescribed but the urge to take more gets everyone and before you know it that's what your doing, running out of the drug early, and that can just lead to a whole new problem! There is not a nurse or. Dr. Out there that hasn't heard all the stories about why someone ran out early!! Find anything but OxyContin, it sucks you in like heroin! I have never heard that about Lyrica?! I've never had my patients even say it causes dry mouth. At least the drug companies have made the OxyContin so you can't chew them, like many were. Best of luck but know there are other alternatives that work just fine for pain but without all the problems!

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My teeth were rotted from inside out by Lyrica. In 2011 I had all my teeth & beautiful smile. By 2013 I had 13 cavities & that was in just 6 months. I had them all fixed & within months my teeth were again rotting from inside out. Several molars just snapped off at the gum line. I had to have roots removed by oral surgeon. In 2 weeks I'm spending $2000 to get 2 more teeth & one with just roots cut out under IV sedation because I freak out having anything done anymore
I started onOxycontin 20mg every 8 hours about 18 months ago but my teeth were already ruined. Many people on Lyrica said their teeth
broke off at the gum line. I think the fact is that any drug that dries the mouth is going to cause problems. There are special mouthwashes but they taste horrible. I can't afford dentures & amnot a candidate for implants. The oral surgeon I went to was frustrated with me that I didn't want to get all my cavities fixed. I know within months they would all return.

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Ask for anything else. The reason being I was told is from the drastic decrease in saliva that contains minerals to keep your enamel strong. If you must be on it buy the toothpaste, mouthwash and there's now a spray, use it many times a day. Hopefully you can save your teeth! Wish I had known this 13 years ago. I think they should just stop making it, causes problems for people in too many different ways

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The Oxycontin is absolutely the cause of tooth loss! I had no dental problems until I was put on Oxycontin over 10 years ago because of an accident and many broken bones and subsequently many surgeries. Within 6 months teeth started snapping off at the gum line, it was horrifying. I had my Dr. Safely get me off it right away. But not in time to prevent all my teeth being destroyed. I haven't smiled in ten years! Dental work is so expensive. I have always worked full time, except for the year and a half around the accident. All my money went to my children. But finally after almost 12 years with messed up teeth, I am getting a brand new smile next Wednesday!!!! I was assured by every specialist I spoke with that yes most likely it was the Oxycontin!!! They should take it off the market. I wish I could tell you where you could get your smile back for free, but there is no such thing. I even spent hours looking for places that give you a break in pricing, there is no such thing. I had to work many 60 hour work weeks, and save pennies and it's taken me ten years to now finally be able to do it. Next Wednesday is my big day. I feel your pain, and wish you the best.

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I switched from Oxycontin tho the Fentanyl patch and, although it took a little tinkering with the strength/dosage, I believe we've found the right patch dose for overall pain and Oxycodone for breakthrough pain. It's not as effective as the Oxycontin DR but at least I'm not getting a double teeth killing combination of both. You might think about that as an alternative.

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I too have noticed a deterioration of my teeth after only 2 weeks of prescribed oxycodone for a broken leg that will eventually lead to surgery soon. I am considering stopping the meds but the doc says i need it. What the f*** is going on here? I have so far respected all the advice and followup they have provided and got to admit the oxy makes me feel great but at the expense of what?

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Not surprised by their response but I would be curious to find out exactly WHEN they added the "dental caries" warning! I would suspect it's been fairly recent and added on order to cover their arses!

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This is the response from the pharmaceutical company who manufactures oxycontin in the UK:

Dear Mr Vallis,

OxyContin® prolonged release tablets (oxycodone): tooth decay

I refer to your recent inquiry in which you requested information on OxyContin (oxycodone). I understand that you have suffered from an abnormal level of tooth decay after using OxyContin. You asked for information regarding the potential causes for this. I hope the following information is helpful. First of all, I am sorry to hear that you have experienced tooth decay following the use of
OxyContin. Please be assured that we take information regarding side-effects seriously and have passed this information onto our Drug Safety Department who may wish to contact you further regarding this matter. As you are aware, the Patient Information Leaflet (PIL)1 for OxyContin lists tooth decay as an uncommon side effect (May affect up to 1 in 100 people). The Summary of Product Characteristics (SPC) is a more detailed document than the PIL and is intended for use by health care professionals. The SPC for OxyContin2 lists dental caries (tooth decay) as an uncommon undesirable effect occurring in = 1% of cases. Neither the PIL1 nor the SPC2 provide any information regarding a potential mechanism by which OxyContin can cause tooth decay. We adhere to The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) Code of Practice, which states that as a Pharmaceutical company we are unable to discuss specific medical matters or provide medical advice to patients or intervene with the patient/doctor relationship. However, we are able to send further information directly to your doctor or pharmacist regarding this issue, which they can then discuss with you. I would therefore suggest that you discuss this matter further with your doctor or pharmacist. Your doctor or pharmacist may then wish to contact us to gain further information regarding this matter. As I am sure you will appreciate they are best placed to advise you about the suitability of a particular product and your doctor will also have details of your medical history and access to information on all medicinal products. I hope that you find this information useful. Should you require any further information, please do not hesitate to contact me again.

Yours sincerely,
Philippa Mort RGN
Medical Information Officer on behalf of Napp Pharmaceuticals

References:
1. OxyContin PIL (April 2015)
2. OxyContin SPC (August 2014)
®: OxyContin is a registered trademark

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I found a way off those damn pills but was also on them for many years and yes losing all my teeth. I previously had a beautiful smile. I was told that oxycontin causes severe dry mouth and without you're normal saliva that has minerals to keep your teeth strong and bacteria levels at bay, your teeth rot. After not smiling for ten years I am finally getting Denture implants in 3 weeks. All my molars just started snapping off at the gum line. It was definitely from the damn oxycontin but good luck fighting big drug companies, they don't care. First I would get the hell off those, there are alternatives. I'm going through a dental school to have my work done and saving huge money with first class services and products. Is there one in your state?

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That's totally okay, Robin! I knew there HAD to be a simple explanation and, regardless of how old the post was, it's nice that you felt the need to stick up for them. Take care and welcome to our forum! ;)

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just to let you know.

i've sent an email to the manufacturer of oxcontin here in the uk, outlining my tooth decay problems and have mentioned there's others like me, experiencing the same thing. it will be interesting to see their reply, assuming they do.

have any of you contacted the manufacturers in the u s a?

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Sorry was trying to stick up for the person who originally started this post. Until i noticed how old this message was from. I just have a hard time seeing people judged for the hell they have to live with day in and day out.. Sorry for the confusion

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Totally understand since I now have to put two patches on.... One 100 and one 50. I'm still hoping they will help me reduce my Oxy intake. We'll have to wait and see. Good night all! Christine

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