Oxycontin Damaged My Teeth (Page 22)

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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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Thanks for the information and welcome too our forum@

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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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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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Hollywood and for many of us with DDD it is worse you increase the Ca2 and then we have more renal stones forming; remember if you have bad discs and are in pain your adrenal is throwing off high cortisol levels (fight or flight response) and you are going to break down disc material increasing your stones.

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Actually mine is abdominal pain due to a rare and so far untreatable form of colitis, diverticulitis and abdominal adhesion syndrome. There's no cure and every known treatment has either not worked or most often than not has made it worse. Further and in regard to supplements, virtually every one of them contain magnesium strearate which gives me even worse diarrhea than I already have to deal with throughout the day and night. Nothing worse than having to start wearing Depends beginning at the ripe old age of 58 and not because I can't control my bladder! That, along with the constant pain makes for a pretty depressing life (and, yes, I'm also on antidepressants which as you said also contributes to the dry mouth/tooth decay).

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Christine I empathize hon and trust me most of us (I have IBS and CFS) would prefer the trots due to the opioid therapy. ((Hugs)) well it is nice to meet you we will have to get to know one another better. All these years on SSDI and some local denies my claim and now must fight SSA after just taking comp back to court. God bless <3

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Yes I would very much like to talk to you more personally and I empathize with you as well. Ours is not a happy much less fulfilling life especially when I can't even volunteer for anything which I used to do all the time and with tremendous passion. I rarely leave my room much less my home now and if it weren't for my Mom I'd most likely been living off the streets. Let's try to connect.

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Christine I may be out of a roof soon too after all these years I had to attempt to work and got terminated as a Director of Nursing to get to California these past years since my PM of 10 years died in Houston so due to my complexity had to go out there. Comp is supposed to pay transport then regulations changed all out of state patients got dumped as well so have not had a PM for about 6 months but now my SSDI is blown off by a local SSA person. I can't began to tell you if you want tell Mark it's ok and I'll respond.

God connects good people:)

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Christine my brain is a mess too many legal briefs working on today and of course I'll have to represent myself. I went ahead and wrote it's Nick not Mark (duh) and I'm sure they have a lot of stuff to sift through. If you go to their contact area and set up an email (just like these posts) and give permission I am sure they will connect us.

For now peace out sister :)

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They should already personal email address since I was the one who got that possibility established in the first place.

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Christine good for you I sent release its 1 a.m. awake and in pain will catch you when we have each other's
contacts.

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Yes I didn't think of that. Thank you P540

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