Oxycontin Damaged My Teeth (Page 19)

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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Hi Martin,
I too am in the UK, I've been on oxycontin for 11yrs after my accident that left me with spinal damage. Like you I am having so many problems with my teeth and them rotting. Until I started taking the oxycontin my teeth were fine and I hadn't had a filling in years. Now my teeth crumble and I've had to have teeth removed and now have a partial upper denture. I believe the pharmaceutical companies are to blame but they're so well covered by lawyers they think they have no comebacks. Let me know how you get on when talking to your lawyer.

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hello karen, sorry to hear of your distress, are you still taking oxycontin? i will let you know how i get on.

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Hi Martin,
yes I'm still on oxycontin, oramorph and mst continus. I have asked my GP to try me on something else but as yet not a lot has worked for pain relief. I'm at my wits end with the crumbling teeth etc.

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I don't know where you are located but there's a dentist same day service in south Carolina Florence, very cheap they take some ins. called sexton dental clinic. they can help people coming from everywhere as their services are the cheapest and the best looking ones I've encountered. I don't have the number but you can call a directory! Good luck!

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Hello, everyone, and once again, I apologize for not having been able to fulfill the position that I said I would (and that was ONLY TO BE THE ORGANIZER.... the person who would put together a list of those of us who might be interested in pulling our resources together in order to perhaps pursue a class-action suit against Purdue Pharmaceuticals). Granted, I have not been physically able to update that database lately, but I did put one together and I shared it with those who had shown interest. Be it known that I also ASKED, when I began to feel really bad, if there was anyone who might be interested in taking over that duty and, to date, NO ONE HAS ANSWERED ME NOR VOLUNTEERED TO DO SO! So, please stop asking me for updates or anything having to do with whatever legal action(s) and/or inquires have been made because I never had anything to do with that aspect in the first place. Please also forgive me for the tone of my message .... it's only due to the fact that I'm in more pain than I've ever been in in my life and I'm also having to go through more tests than I can ever remember ever having to go through in such a short period of time (some of them I'm not even allowed to take my pain medications prior to the tests!) so, sorry, I'm not in the best of moods right now. And .... If you're not in a position to cooperate or take over what I sincerely wanted to do at the start of this, then please don't get on my back about what I'm not doing. Maybe, and God forbid, if you should find yourself in MY position, you'll have a bit more compassion. As I promised, I will do my VERY BEST to update that database and send it to everyone ON that list. And, if you should receive that list, I can only pray that one of you will take on the task of continuing the list and to let RxChat.com know that you're going to be the next point of contact member who will take over the duties that I, in all sincerity, I signed up for. Bless you all, Christine

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Hi, I had the exact same issues lost all my teeth and my bones have lost a lot of condition. I don't have much money but I needed to get my teeth done as it really affected my self asteem. I don't know where your located but dentistry schools offer greatly reduced dental care. I was going to go this route but the waits list here was 2 years. It cost me out of pocket 5 grand (2000 dentist and 3000 for dentures). I wish you the best.

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The exact thing happened to me. I was on oxicontin for 7yrs-- now all my teeth are rotten but you can't tell from looking at them. I also used to model and have been suicidal over this. The dentist took my caps off, put on temps and now won't have anything to do with me. The meds also caused me to get epilepsy. I'm devastated. Tracy

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Dear Christine,

There is no reason for you to apologize for anything ! When I seen your post it made me sick because you never told anyone that you were going to be our lawyer , doctor , or anything more than what you had done a long time ago . You were the first and only person that I know of that was able to get us a spot on this sight that gave us the opportunity to join together as one group . Also I remember when you had made a list of everyone who did get in touch with you and put each of our info that we provided on the post so we would be able to get in touch with each other if anyone wanted to to move forward from there it was up to each of us including myself to pitch in and start something because if I remember correctly you were upset then that after all you did not one of us did anything to help you in any way ! You did what you said you would so you have no reason to apologize ! I am sorry for not doing anything to help you ! I am 53 years old and battle daily just to get out of bed because of pain and paperwork and doctor appointments I am lucky if I get a shower each day because after just shaving my face I have to lay down for a while and don't get a shower to the next day because of back pain and I will not increase my medicine because it fixes nothing and 20 years of this is driving me crazy ! I know you have medical issues that you are dealing with just like the rest of us ! So it is me that wants to tell you I am sorry for being no better than anyone else for not helping you ! I truely hope you feel better and thank you for everything you tried to do for me and sorry for not doing more to help you !! The Mailman

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I know exactly how you feel! I to am 41 and a chronic pain patient. I have had 3 neck surgeries and about 28 others for various g.y.n. problems. I just started the planning process for implants. I have 6 whole teeth left and the rest have either been pulled or are too damaged to fix. I have never done any illegal drugs and my mouth looks like a meth addicts mouth. Needless to say my self-esteem is non existent and to top it off, my husband is in law enforcement so if we go somewhere together I don't talk nor smile! My dentist told me alot of damage to my teeth happened due to dry mouth caused by all the meds. Unfortunately he told me too late. From what I was told by my oral surgeon, once the process starts it won't stop even when your done with the medication. I don't know how common our problem is for chronic pain patients but if Dr. were more aware about it then they could mention using the whole range of products from "Biotien" for dry mouth. (Toothpaste, mouth wash, spray, and gum) plus rinsing your mouth out with a 50/50 peroxide/water rinse (DON'T SWALLOW THIS). That rinse is supposed to help reduce bacteria in your mouth that brushing can't get. Maybe you and I can help others avoid this because this happened to us through no fault of our own. I wish you the best of luck. Maybe you can find some dentist that will take payments or maybe your church (if you have one) could help. Just remember your kids love you no matter what. I have 2 sons one is a teen also, and they never mention mommies lack of teeth. It has been a great visual lesson for my younger one when he doesn't want to brush his teeth. (I always try to find some positive) I hate going out in public even to shop. My husband has been wonderful doing all the shopping. I have put myself under house arrest, thats how mortified I am. You are not alone!

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Dear Mailman (and everyone else).... I can't begin to tell you just HOW MUCH I APPRECIATE your message! As you've obviously gathered, I was quite upset when I made my post and, although I stand behind what I wrote, I certainly didn't do so in order to upset anyone. I was born confused and, yes, angry, that some of the members had either been told or somehow assumed that I was going to be the end all and be all in the fight against the pharmaceutical company (lawsuit) for the damage we've all experienced with our teeth! And, as I've said many times since, I've been having to deal with even MORE pain than I've ever had before, so getting these messages/requests, did nothing but add to my stress level and frustration. Further, and as I've offered before, I will do the best I possibly can to update the database to include those who wanted to be included so they, too, could "talk" tho other members one on one. My time, however, is relatively short as I will be undergoing what might possibly be major surgery this coming Wednesday, April 1st (yes,I know, April Fools day!). So, if I should happen to find myself with an hour or two wherein my pain is at a somewhat tolerable level, I will update that database table and send it, via email, to everyone who's provided email addresses. That being said, I will also (and once again) ask if just one of everyone on the list would be willing to be the contact person between Medschat and those of you who would like the ability to communicate on a one on one basis. I don't know how I'm going to feel after surgery or how long it's going to take me to recuperate either. So, if there are indeed SO many of you who apparently want to pursue this, then there should be at least one of you who would be willing to, perhaps at least temporarily, be that contact. AGAIN, I thank you, Mailman, for your apology and for acknowledging the work I DID DO, the work that I SAID I WOULD DO! And, just as you sent me your good wishes and prayers, I'm doing the same to you as well as to every other member of this forum! I wish you all a pain free minute, Hour, DAY (wouldn't that be wonderful?)! But, most of us take whatever pain free moment we can get, right?, and we savor it! DO SAVOR EVERY MOMENT YOU CAN!

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CORRECTION! Although some may say that I was, indeed, born confused.... LOL.... I'm not quite sure why the auto-fill option on my tablet chose to change "quite" to "born"! Just so you know.... and most likely give you something to laugh about today..... at least I hope it does since, really, the ONLY THING THAT HELPS WITH OUR PAIN IS LAUGHTER! So.... LAUGH AS MUCH AS YOU CAN, AND, FIND SOMETHING TO LAUGH ABOUT EVERY DAY!

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Angela there are places that do affordable dentures. Also see what a Medicaid spend down would be if not eligible. Store medication can be used. I worked there for my local county. I spent over $15000 on crowns bc of accident n I have same issue where teeth are wrecked n wear partial bc I had 2 major surgeries on neck. Been on medication since 07 n in 2 yrs they got soft. Where do you live as state so I can find resources for you

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Reading these numerous histories of other patients with exactly the same problems I'm having is reassuring. Is there a class action suit started anywhere? I'm in Canada and would like to have this problem addressed. Has the manufacturer admitted any liability?
Pat

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as some of you may recall i asked the dental law partnership to look into my case. and without boring you with all the details, they've finally come back to me and the upshot is, they don't feel there's enough hard evidence to bring a case against either the pharmaceutical company, my dentist or doctor. of course I don't agree.

clearly to pursue my case under a "no win, no fee" basis would prove too costly from their point of view because of the difficulty in trying to prove my claim.

it was also made clear that the cost of bringing an action against a pharmaceutical company would be enormously expensive and is another reason they wont take it on.

i did provide them with a link to this forum, simply to state that i wasn't a lone victim of oxycontin. i asked about a legal suit and their comment was that all on here's situation is different and therefore again hard to pursue.

while we may all have come to our current positions via different routes, surely the common denominator is, we were all prescribed oxycontin to treat chronic pain and we have all suffered tooth decay.

for those of you that live in the uk like me, i would urge you to contact the dental law partnership with your own story because no doubt, the more of us that do, the more weight it will give us and just might convince them that there is truth in our complaints.

their details are: the dental law partnership, alvaston house, middlewich road, nantwich, cheshire. cw 5 6pf. email, [email protected]. and dentallaw.co.uk.

i'm not throwing in the towel just yet and will look for other avenues to explore and if i have any luck i'll post back on here.

and another thing, I am pursuing making a complaint to my doctors surgery, I think we all should do that, if we haven't already. Even if it makes you feel uncomfortable, after all we're the victims here and the ones with holes and gaps where teeth once were. it's not your doctor that would be paying out the money it would be the surgery's insurance if you/we were successful.

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I'm amazed at the number of people that have posted threads regarding the link between oxycodone and dental decay. Is there a class action suit or is there a law firm to contact. Has the manufacturer of oxycodone helped anyone with dental repairs ?

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yes i totally agree wat ur saying. i been on oxycontin for 7 years and had perfect teeth too but now im soooo aashamed of my teeth. their all black and falling out and just speent easter in intensive care this year because of an abscess in my mouth and they had too have emergency surgery and then kept in a coma for couple days due too blood poisining. i had lockjaw and everything.. my teeth r disgusting.and they were perfect before i started this medication. i have turned into a real hermit and neva smile. smae thing always had a partner and so happy , but now i have no one and nothing but a mouthful of rotton teeth. my dose went as high as 140mg a day but im down too 80mg daily now. its ruined my life in everyway frrom being a hermit too having rotton teeth too thinning hair and looking old and fuzzy brain that couldnt organise a thing let alone have my life in order like i used too have. i used too work in an airport as security for years and hurt my back patting down a passenger which led too 2 back operations which was the beginning too the end of my good life and the start of my life now 7 yrs later which i wouldnt wish upon too my worst enemy. so yesssssss, oxycontin does ruin ur teeth no matter wat the so called experts say ppl like u and i should know as were the ones with rotton teeth and i used too be a very proud confident woman and always had a partner but that all went out the window with my teeth. so ur not alone my dear.

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I live in South australia in answer to the question where we live to get more resources

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while I don't disagree with your comments particularly as I now know a lot more about the medication and have stopped taking as well.

I would add though that the information that comes with the meds is very economical with the reasons why they cause tooth decay. as a member of the public I wouldn't know that " dry mouth " which is a side effect would be the cause of the decay and I think that should be made clear and isn't!

I would add, that if a medication can be so devastating then surely it's the duty of the doctor or whoever prescribes the medication to know this and warn the patient to the potential harm that it can do. and my doctor didn't !

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I would be willing to join you in pursuing something further because I as well had beautiful teeth before starting Oxycontin. I had just had my braces taken off cuz my treatment was completed. Over a 7 yr period I noticed my teeth getting rotted from the gum line then eventually they just got bridle and started falling out. This has hindered my life terribly cuz of embarrassment. I have no money to even pull the rest out and get dentures. The dentist said I have thousands of dollars of work needed in my mouth. All I do is cry on top of my medical issues. I'm a mess I just want my beautiful smile back. If I knew for 1 sec that Oxycontin would have done this to my teeth I would have researched other medication.

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Hi autumn i also experienced rotting teeth from Oxycontin. Did you all get a group together that I can join or did anyone contact a Atty that I could call as well. I would appreciate it if you could get back to me. I would love to support and help out with this.

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