has anyone had issues with teath-rotting due to pain meds?

Is this a common issue cronic pain sufferers go through? I went to a dds and was told since I WAS a junkie (his assertation due to my pain meds list) said he was not going to waste his time or my so called* money, just to have me uncare for his work. I was very hurt, offended, and literally cried. Yet he kept yelling at me for being on methadone* thus making me a junkie and NOT a litural pain maint, period. Well now my teath are well let's say way worse than when I went doe eyed into my own bashing. Yet, I am horrified to go to any other dds. Is this common acc? Have since taken myself off the methadone, seasures were unknown withdrawls really hurt my nurve damage even more but done free, prob now I have to take. Oxys and norco, with a big dose of Xanax=had NO IDEA what was going to happen with this medication. I found out full on blue, s+_2wed and tatt'ed. I need to get off this on asap any ideas on how without death? Weaning is not working for me wishe I never started this one. Then again with I never lost my son in kewate, either. Thanks for the time.

Hi Darkmass and welcome to HW! Not at all uncommon for long-term opiate users to have bad teeth and most of us lose them at an early age. Also the Dentist attitude isn't uncommon either!

Im a 13 year methadone for pain user and there's not much I've not dealt with when it comes to the stigma attached to it.

Im also at a point as you will see from my "med change "list that I've had enough of the long-term effects of this med. Its one of if not the harshest med there is.

Im virtually lifeless these days. Overwhelmed,overweight, and yes no teeth, lost those along time back. Horrendous constipation and numb to the world. Methadone is stored in your bone marrow therefore mimicking after years of use immunodeficiency diseases.

I took myself down from 40 mgs to 15 mgs months back but over the years I've been on doses as high as 100 mgs a day! Falling asleep standing in a store choosing cereal?!!

Im smart enough to know I cannot get all the way off without help as withdrawal from methadone is far longer and more wicked then other opiates due to its long half-life.

If your Dr put you on then he needs to help you off!!

Im positive my pain issues aren't going to allow me to use nothing but I'm willing to try anything at this point.

I choose at this time to work with Butrans patch to wean off methadone and once that's finished in 2 weeks we hope I can successfully go to the new Zohydro.

Switching straight off high methadone doses to other opiates usually isn't successful therefore the taper and Butrans or Subutex allows you to not have such violent withdrawal symptoms.

Please contact your Dr and get help with getting off.

I hope you stick around and please follow my journey into this 13 year end to this mess. I had no idea this medicine would save my life while robbing me of living too!

Hi, yes the meds over time will rot your teeth, I started taking pains meds on a regular in 1996, over the next 10 years they would come out while I bit into a sandwich, by 2004 I had tiny pieces of bits of teeth in my mouth.

The state where I live have a program where dentists volunteer there services to take all the bits and pieces and fitted me with dentures. I was on a waiting list for 2 years, but compared to what a dentist wanted $15,000.00 was the 1st quote I got, 2 years was nothing.

Even after all these years they still need some adjustments, but I found someone to adjust them while I waited for 300.00, my gums have changed over the years, and the bottom set needs adjustmet, the top set are fine, but I need both set to work so I can eat with them in my mouth.

Kathy

Sorry to hear of the death of your son in Kuwait. Which branch of the service did he serve in? War is a terrible thing, I am a Viet-Nam Vet myself.

The rotting or crumbling teeth thing is very common among those of us with CP that have been on long term pain meds. We had a recent thread here on that very subject, perhaps someone can make a link to the other thread.

Glad you found us, its better than feeling alone with your problems and issues, and you can vent anytime you feel a need

Please never give up hope.

David

Yes, yes, and yes.

I think most pain meds (and probably many others) contribute to tooth rot/decay/crumbling loss.

I fought by spending tens of thousands of dollars trying to save my teeth, all out of denial that I could "fix" this or it couldn't be the meds.

Well, yeah, no.

So at 40 (ten years ago) I got dentures.

It's totally worth it.  No one knows I have them (I mean unless I tell them), they just think that I have nice teeth.

I can eat again without crumbling teeth falling apart, without pain and agony, and for me, I was so embarrassed by what my mouth looked like, I wouldn't smile, I'd talk with my  hand over my mouth.

I am not on methadone (except that one time by accident), but I've been a CP patient for decades, treated in a multitude of ways, but narcotics have been the only things that has been effective.

I chose (and hope I can continue to) maintain this method of relief.  I've had way too many allergic reactions (and a few "sensitivities") to other meds, that I'm not eager to try anything new and break a system that's been working quite well for me.

Dentures are not only great (they're easy to clean, you can choose your teeth, you can have beautiful teeth), IF THEY ARE MADE PROPERLY no one can tell you're wearing them.

And steer clear of implants because with our meds, we'd be setting ourselves up for greater and extremely expensive problems.

Plus without all the rotting teeth, your mouth, and your heart, are healthier.  All that decay is very damaging to your system!

M.

Yes, unfortunately, the dry mouth effect from these meds causes lots of damage -- not to mention that we have so much going on that remembering to be extra careful with our teeth sometimes just doesn't make the list.
My dentist recommended Oasis mouthwash (alcohol-based mouthwashes exacerbate the drying effect of meds) to help some. Not gonna fix the damage done, but might help some going forward. Get yourself a different dentist -- dentists shouldn't be so judgmental. How awful! What different would it make why your teeth are bad?! You're there to get them fixed. How cruel.

Methadone is particularly difficult to get off of, but there are options. My PM transitions his patients to shorter-acting pain meds first & then writes for medicines to help with withdrawal symptoms (muscle relaxants, blood pressure meds, nausea meds, and so forth). The two I've felt helped most were Promethazine (a nausea med specifically used to treat withdrawal from narcotics/opioids) and Catapres patches. I still get the awful creepy crawlies, but it's manageable enough for a couple days as long as I drink lots of water, stay warm & wrap myself up very tight. Then, it's just a matter of managing pain. I just got my Spinal Cord Stimulator updated & it is honestly helping a lot. Today I was able to only take 1/2 my prescribed doses. :)

Hope you can find the help you need. To find a decent dentist, you might try asking the doctor that prescribes your pain meds if he has any suggestions of decent dental providers.

Best wishes!