Oxycontin Damaged My Teeth (Page 7)

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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This is what i had thought for a while and today i decided to do some research.I am in australia and was recently at the specialist dept at the dental hospital.I had mentioned that i think the oxycontin is ruining my teeth.Their reply was that they had never heard of that happening before and insinuating it must be my diet..My doctor had never once mentioned this and this vicious drug is to blame for more than just teeth..We seem to believe medical practicioners ,that when we are placed on a medication ,although they have side effects it is ultimately for our wellbeing.Until someone is in constant pain every day,and they need some type of relief,they will never understand what would make someone take this medication.I feel very sympathetic to all those that have taken this drug to ease their pain and now their health issues are now even more complicated.Personally i would love to shut this company down,for their deceptive ill informed leaflets..Nothing on the side effects brochure mentions anything about teeth..Dry mouth is mentioned and it is stated if it worries you talk to your doctor..That is a joke..The CEO of this company should do jail time..For the people out there who have judged others that have taken this med,to try and ease chronic pain to lead a relatively normal life,the only thing i can say is i f'n hope you get hit by a truck and suffer miserably until the day you die..

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I have been on oxycodone for approx 10 years and my teeth on top have literally rotted to and I am so glad to hear the same thing, I am not crazy. It is the medicine.

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Hey Angela, I do feel so badly for you but I was warned by my doctor that ALL narcotics can cause and/or advance dental decay due to the dry mouth all of these narcotics cause. If you take morphine, fentanyl, dilaudid or oxycontin (have never taken myself), they all do cause that cotton mouth feeling. You need saliva to prevent the build up of decay at the roots of your teeth. It's too late for you but I do think as patients, we MUST take responsibility and do our own research and know what the benefits and risks are. Doctors do not have the time to tell us each and every detail about these drugs so where I really do feel for you, you must take some responsibility. 480 mg of OxyContin is an insane dose by any standard, and yes I know what debilitating pain is, I am terminal and I refuse any and all Oxy's and I use a prescription toothpaste to further protect my teeth and there are many products to use to combat dry mouth but not at the dose you are at. You say you never would have taken them had you known you would have these problems, with all due respect, which is it, unbearable pain that you require these meds and at these doses or tolerable pain knowing the side effects? I must take these medications but I take the lowest dose possible that allows me to be involved in what life I have left and I deal with truly unbearable pain. I use many different methods to deal with my pain that allow me to utilize a lower dose. The truth is, this is a HIGHLY addicting medicine and you got sucked in, I do believe the company should be held responsible in that they hid the true addictive nature of this drug but you, no matter what drug it is, will have to exercise good judgement and restraint. You are clearly bright, you can do your own research. I agree with the other poster, go to a dental school in your area, it is inconvenient but they will likely help you get your dentures for a significantly reduced fee, possibly sliding scale. Care Credit is another idea if you have the income to substantiate the debt, or will be approved. You can usually get one year w/o payments and then you can default or just make the minimums. Big question is, are you still taking these meds and at these doses? Also, all of your children are special needs? Did you take these meds during your pregnancies b/c the statistical odds of one mother having 3 true special needs children are HIGHLY unlikely unless you were taking these high doses during your pregnancies. Who will look after them because you claim that you are not responsible for any part of your medical treatment plan. We are all responsible for knowing what we take, why we take it and does the risk outweigh the benefit. I am dying and did not find the side effects to be worth it, I just Googled my options and chose the medications at the lowest doses I could manage at with the least side effects. By the way, my doctor did not know many of these side effects as he is trained as a diagnostician, my pharmacist however was very helpful with the medications themselves. I have had 22 surgeries myself, I have had to have a few root canals and have NO doubt it's due to the dry mouth. I added in over the counter items that are designed to prevent or reduce dry mouth and worked with my physician to find a dose and medication that best worked for me. I hope you will explore the many viable options you have been given, explore legal action where they take your case on a contingency basis, I know there has been some success with Atiq Suckers and dental decay. Also pursue an organization where professionals donate their time and resources, possibly through a church, etc. Good luck and for the rest of the people on this forum, DENTAL DECAY IS A HUGE SIDE EFFECT OF NARCOTIC USE.

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I had a similiar problem. I told the dentist to remove my bottom teeth, because most of them were missing. I now have bottom dentures, and im trying to stop the top ones from falling out.Due to shrinking gums.I think its called gingivitis or just not taking care of your teeth and doing drugs. Well, im preparing myself for if i do lose my top teeth and have no teeth at all. You have to mentally prepare yourself ahead of time or if you already lost all your teeth, get dentures. But they are usually very expensive and hard to eat with them on.If you search around, you could praboly find a dental clinic that just might work with you. or one of those dental colleges, they are always looking for patients and they charge alot cheeper than most dentist.I know exactly how you feel, thats is whats going thru my mind, because i still have my top teeth, but i can see that slowly but surely i will be losing them.

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It's an indirect cause by all narcotics and your PM docs should have warned you. These meds cause dry mouth so the lack of saliva creates a breeding ground for bacteria/decay and without extra diligent dental care, will decay, abscess and be pulled unless you do something NOW to stop it. First, do you floss? There is a saying "only floss the teeth you want to keep". A lot of food gets caught b/w your teeth and up and the gum line and if you do not floss at least nightly, the decay will get worse. Once you see what's been staying in your mouth after you floss, I doubt that you'll be able to skip it (if you want to save your top teeth and I think you can). Brush several times a day and there are lots of mouth rinses that are made for dry mouth. Also, chew sugar-free gum as much as you can, it generates the saliva you need to keep your teeth clean. I have been on morphine for over 10 years and dilaudid as b/t and was warned about the dry mouth and at first I was with abscess after abscess and now I have NO problems. I also have a professional cleaning 4Xyear, it's not very expensive b/c you don't need any xrays but once - it's cheaper and much less painful than having all of these dental problems.

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I just ordered from a company called fornervehealth. I dont know if it will help you but it would be worth a look.

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OMG I was reading this and the more I thought and saw It screamed con artist. First all her websites to her charity are Bogus dont exist. All her little myspace stories wah cry me a river. Her links to her penthouse modeling days I truly believe they are not her. And then I googled her name and she has a 90,000 suit for smart card cons
freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/991264/posts (con artist) My god if your teeth are that bad go see a dentist I have needed help and no dentist has never not let me make payments as dire as Wah I was tortured as a child My kids have disabilities I dont believe a word of it I think she is just looking free money from unsuspecting men. People like her make me sick and if she really is on oxy's I have no doubt she's selling them

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it's bc after reading and going through her Myspace I have come to conclusion she is a con artist. Read this and you'll see for sure what I am thinking.

freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/991264/posts

Intrestingly enough none of her links work to her supposed charity she runs either.

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Ive been dealing w/a mouth that has literally turned into a crumbling road to root rot. 8yrs ago this past April i was sitting in the dentist's chair getting Brite Smile teeth whitening done on a mouth that had only 3 fillings from childhood.I accredit this to my parents who,as a child,had my teeth protected w/a clear-coat that resulted to being cavity free for 20 yrs.! I attributed my current disaster zone to the whitening, bleaching off my protectant until my dentist(a specialist mind you)said the timing was just a coincedence. So as i thought about this i was like,"could the painkillers i had to take from '04 to '09 the cause?" I had a really bad accident on a quad that put me in the trauma unit&hospital bed for 3 mos.and then all that followed. So when i googled does oxy rot teeth,I almost fu***** fell out of my seat! I had no idea this stuff did this! To me one of theworst parts of this is that the rot is happening from the inside until the teeth are just so brittle til they break.I had NO PAIN and found out about the problem when i was flossing. Ipulled out not just plaque but a half-a-tooth came w/it. So i got a lil mouth mirror&began to look....lets just say within 3 more wks,2 other teeth were either chipped or fully broken. Last thing i wanna say is that the real disheartning part is that the damage can be fixed but stopping the process is not easy cus my gums have receded&they do not grow back.Also,ive been off oxy for 2.5yrs but its like a runaway train once this process gets rolling.Good luck to u all cus if anyone knows,i know what a b**** it is just to get off these,but then to look like a hillbilly,sucks.

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Hey tony,you made me laugh as when i read this thread about oxycontin and tooth decay i also almost fell off my chair also.I had a suspicion but nothing definite.About 5 days ago i had three teeth removed ,two upper one lower and at this exact moment am in quite a lot of pain.They were not easy to get out considering they were snapped off at the base.I had an infection,so the stitches had to be re opened.The dry mouth the oxys cause are not helping the healing process i might add.So yep,a fellow hill billy here also.My back is stuffed and am in quite a lot of pain just to walk.The depressing part is you try to relieve that pain for a better quality of life and this is what we get in return.More pain.They should have it listed as a side effect that if you take this medication for a prolonged length of time you will ultimately look like a gummy bear.Something just does not seem right with the secrecy regarding this medication as when i mention tooth decay and oxycontin both the G.P and Dentists look surprised and look at me like i am mad..Now i am a mad man with three missing front teeth...FARK FARK.....These things are meant to test us

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How do I stop receiving updates on threads I've written on? I don't see a way to unsubscribe. This for me was answered in June but I get an email for every added response. Thanks for your help.

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Can't you just block the emails sent from this address ?...cheers

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Lynne & anyone else wondering, all of our email alerts contain opt-out links near the bottom. Please do not hesitate to let us know if you'd like additional help with this.

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i am 43 i am awaiting spine surgery my surgeon has left me like this for 8MONTHS.HE IS TOP 5 IN NYSTATE AND I WANTED THE BEST!!!.i have long term issues as you and have never
Takin anything more than a vicodin or a percocet and ive had 14 surgeries ,,,in the past 2 months my teeth became sensitive to hot and cold i have abrasion on several of my teethI WONT GET A ROOT CANAL EVER AGAIN CAUSE THAT TOOTH STILL KILLS ME CEOWN AND ALL I DO HAVE TWO IMPLANTS AND IT COST ME THOUSANDS WHICH WAS MY SAVINGS AND LET ME TELL YOU ITS HEAVAN!IMPLANTS R THE ONLY WAY TO GO!! it hurts to breath cold air!!!i dont have money to pull them or replace them i am a very attractive girl and have ALWAYS BEEN COMPLEMENTED ON MY TEETH AND HOW WHITE AND NICE THEY R!!II PROBABLY WAS CURSED US ITALIANS BELIEVE THAT!! HAVE BEEN ON OXYCONE 30 MGS EVERY 3 TO FOUR HOURS FOR ALL THESE MONTHS EVEN IF I DID HAVE THE MONEY I CANT START DENTAL WORK CAUSE IM IN SUCH AGONY THAT MY SURGEON WILL CANCEL SURGERY AGAIN!!!AND I CANNOT I HAVE BEEN IN BED ON ICE AND MEDS FOR TOO LONG TO WALK I GET SHORTNESS OF BREATH CAUSE IM NOT MOVING AROUND!!!! EXCUSE MY FRENCH BUT I AM F***ING DEVESTATED!!! I TOO WILL NEVER LEAVE MY HOUSE WITH NO TEETH IN MY MOUTH IM SOO UPSET ALL I DO IS CRY I EAT YORGURT AND RICECAKES [SINCE THEY SOMEWHAT DISSOLVE IN UR MOUTH ]!!!CRYING MAKES MY PAIN WORSE SO I JUST LAY IN BED AND PRAY I HAVENT WORKED IN 10YEARS DO TO ALL MY SURGERIES I JUST KEEP SEEING A BEATIFUL FUL OF LIFE GIRL DISINERGRATING INTO A PERSON WHO IS GOING TO BE AWFULLY SKINNY TOOTHLESS !! IM ALREADY AM SINGLE AND NEVER MARRIED NOONE WILL EVER WANT ME NOW I AM CATHOLIC AND WOULD NEVER HARM MYSELF BUT I PRAY FOR DEATH AND GOD TO TAKE ME EVERY NITE!!I LIVE WITH MY MOM WHO JUST HAD LUNG CANCER ALL I KEEP PICTURING IS HER DYING AND ME TOOTHLESS AD HOMLESS AS I AM DESTITUTE POOR !!HOW DOES A GIRL LIKE ME GO FROM TOP OF THE LINE SHOES CLOTHES WORKING HAIRSTYLIS TO KNOWING EVERY NAME BRAND AND WEARING EVRY THING FROM MARKC JACOBS JIMMY CHOO AND ETC... TO HAVING A YEAR RECOVERY FROM SPINE UPCOMING AND THEN HAVING TO PULL ALL MY TEETH LIKE I SAID ALL I DO IS CRY AND I KNOW ITS FROM TAKING THE OXYCODONE AND GOD ONLY KNOWS AFTER SURGERY ILL BE ON OXYCONTIN IM SURE THE TEETH SITUATION WILL JUST SPEED UP I AM DEVISTATED!!!SINCERELY TERRY!!!

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Hello Angela. If your still able to see this post.as it has been a few years I would like to see how things are now? I'm thinking something helped you by now I hope. I too went through the Exact things as you did. I am a single mother and am in my 30'S but have no teeth in my mouth due to the mediation and it has destroyed my life and who I once was a beautiful person. I really hope to hear back from you ASAP.

Thanks,
Mariah01

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so rude ass you have no idea how bad things can be some people need to take meds for pain to live every day dont judge unless be judged pal

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You know what? I'm not going to get into my exact situwation. But I'm having the same problem with Oxycodone. It's rotting my teeth. I was never warned of this side effect. It's been a nightmare for me. And I'm glad to see I'm not alone. I think a class action lawsuit should be looked at here. Make them pay to fix our teeth. I do live in Canada. Please email me at {edited for privacy} for anyone who wants to talk about this. Lawsuit or not.

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Dear Snipez-
I have been on oxycontin 80mg. once a day, and 40mg. twice a day for about 10 years for fibromyalgia and I used to have gorgeous teeth. I went to an oral surgeon / then a dentist for implants and after being told by their mgr. that my ins. covered $10,000.00, needless to say it only covered a partial, so I have 4 screws on top after a few bone grafts for almost a year now because I don't have the $3800.00 for the balance. I would be interested in a class action lawsuit, but I would like more information on this type of suit. Would we have to pay a lawyer up front? My email is: {edited for privacy}. My roommate was taking oxycontin for about 5 years till she lost her health insurance and is having exactly the same problem. She is now with a tooth coming out every two months or so. Neither one of us is working because we know no one will hire us with our mouths like they are. I am glad that it's not in our minds. We literally have teeth going from beautiful to rotten in a few months. Look forward to hearing from you.

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I'm not familiar with class action lawsuits. I know we could claim costs associated with lawyers. If we get enough people, I'm sure there would be someone willing to help pay. As I'm broke right now :(

This is very serious situwation and I'm glad I'm not alone. Wrecking our personal appearance is beyond acceptable and downright criminal. We are the victims here. We are in pain. And we trusted this medication. Granted there are side effects to most drugs. But not this bad to destroy our teeth so we all look like meth addicts. I want to be positive and say we could win this, but I doubt it. I'm just talking reality here. We don't have high paid lawyers like these company's do. By no means am I waving the white flag, far from that. But in the meantime we need to try and stop the tooth decay. Call it God's will, I dunno, but in the last few days I have found a way in we might be able to heal our mouths. Not sure if I read it on here or not, but its called oil pulling. Maybe you have heard of it. It involved swishing oil, usually sunflower or sesame oil in the mouth for 20 minutes. At first I thought this was crazy. Then one by one I read people's experiences with it and I was amazed by their results. But I'm not giving up. Loosing our teeth is a form of abuse against us. It mentally messes us up. As you said, loss of employment is a big, big thing. Who's going to hire someone who looks like a meth head? When in fact they are not. And by no means of their own did they cause it. It does list dry mouth as a side effect so I think that means we are probably out of luck. I do have dental coverage, not lots. But I'm getting off these as soon as I can. I'm in pain, so it's a double standard. But losing my teeth is not something I'm going to accept nor should anyone else.

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I hope everyone that has fallen victim due to pain medication and has unfortunately had there teeth ruined as I have sees this post in time. I now have no teeth of my own due to the morphine. My story is pretty long and horrible. But my situation will be on the channel 4 news tonight Thursday the 31st at 11 California time. After it airs it will also be on the channel 4 news website. I will not give up on this. please reply with a post if you have any questions.

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