Does Methadone / Methadose use cause tooth decay?

I can say this. My friends from Vancouver, well taken care of, as was I, by my Dentist growing up, in know uncertain terms blame Methodone use for tooth decay as waell as bone degeneration in general.
The tooth is the hardest bone in the body, and so I was blown away when I lost 1 then 2, 3, and 4 front teeth within one year.
My prescribing doctor says she has heard nothing of these side affects. She lacks knowledge and I will inform her at our next meeting.
It is true that Methadone causes a dry mouth and this is bad. Saliva kills bad bacteria. So rey to avoid a dry mouth which is hard when sleeping and when I think a lot of damage is done.

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One help might be to get, and dentists prescibe this for a variety of reasons, would be a mouth guard used by athletes. There must be a gell to add with floride for extra guarding. Beyond that my ears are wide open and my mouth closed as I lost all my front teath in 1 year. Thats an illness or serious problem that must be addressed because if it is doing that to my teeth then what to my other bones.
Invented by Hitler during the second world war, it was hardly designed for opioid withdrawl. The Germans ran out of Morphine. Methadone has a long half life and they pulled that rabbit out of a hat because of it. We would all be better off on Morphine or Hydromorphone.
Ruby

A lot of ppl seem to want to make bad comments on methadose/methadone without knowing a lot about it. I tell ppl not to discuss it until they do. I'm a recovering addict and I currently go to a recovering center and dose on methadose everyday . Before I was lying, stealing, pawning and manipulating for money to get my doc (drug of choice) which was an opiate called roxycontin or oxycontin. I was an iv user too. I know a lot of ppl don't agree with what I do, but statistically without it I have 1 out of 100 chances to recover without it. I'll wake up everyday for the rest of my life and dose on it if it means I never go back to using iv or any drugs or abusing any prescriptions again. I now can function everyday and I've held down a great job since. If u get your dose right where u need it to be, you won't be high or "nod off" like some ppl who abuse the program do.

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I see my counselor once a week, I attend weekly meetings, and I meet with the dr every month. I am drug tested 2 or more times a month. I'm monitored very closely. This programmed saved my life. I'm serious about my recovery. I have no problems with my teeth. I brush two to three times a day and take daily vitamins just in case.

I have been on Percocet and Methadone, not to mention Morphine and Demerol for the past 15 years. Currently on Percocet and Methadone for pain caused from rupturing the same disc in my lower back twice and having to have surgery both times leaving me with nerve damage that causes my buttocks to have a sharp, stabbing pain that runs from it all the way down each of my legs and into my feet where I have extreme burning pain and numbness that drives me insane. At times I feel as if I am walking on hot coals and I will go and stand in the bath tub and let freezing cold water run on my feet for as long as I can stand it just to get a little bit of relief. I also take Neurontin for this burning pain, but NOTHING seems to help. Any way, my question is about my teeth. The last 8 months or so, my teeth have literally been falling apart and a couple of them have even fell out of my mouth leaving a ring around the gumline. I am so embarassed that I won't even go out in public anymore.

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I am on Medicaid, but they won't pay to see a dentist, all they will cover is dentures and I am not sure if that covers having your remaining teeth removed or not. If I have to pay for any of it, I won't be able to have it done. Also, I have had trouble with being able to deaden my teeth when I do have dental work done and my dentist told me that I needed to be hospitalized to have teeth pulled or cut out, etc. I don't know if Medicaid will cover hospitalization for having teeth pulled for dentures or not either. I know they pay all dental work for children, but if you are over 21, it is totally different and only dentures are covered. If anyone knows the answers to any of these questions, please let me know.

Also, someone mentioned the possibility of a suit being filed against the makers of methadone or other opiates that may cause this tooth loss. If anyone has anymore info on this, please let me know about it. I just want to have something done with my teeth so I am not so embarassed to be seen in public and I have no money to pay for it on my own and my credit is too bad to be able to get anything financed. I sit here now and cry because I am so upset over my teeth. I had ugly teeth as it was do to large spaces between my front teeth and my whole life I kept my hand in front of my mouth when I talked because I was ashamed. Kids used to make fun of me and it's just not something you do to a child. Believe me, it follows you throughout your entire life and now for my teeth to be rotting out right in front of my eyes and with nothing I can do about it, it just makes me feel sick to my stomach. I'm overweight do to a lack of exercise caused by my pain in my back, legs and feet, not to mention that both of my knees have also been replaced and I can't do nearly as much anymore do to that.

I feel as if my entire life has just gone done the drain and it's just not fair. I am 52 years old and I feel as if I am 92. I stay depressed all the time and I just want my life back again. I'm sick of hiding out in my bedroom day in and day out due to my ugly teeth and fat body that I don't want people to see. I have been overweight for several years now, but never to the point I am at now and it is really bringing me down. If anyone has any suggestions or helpful hints, please let me know. I appreciate anyone's help, even though I feel bad about having to ask for it. I never used to be so weak. I was always a strong person, but not anymore. I have 4 grandchildren who need their grandmother and I want to be there for them. I want to have energy again and I want to look good again and feel good again. Any comments will be greatly appreciated. Thanks to all!

I am in the exact situation and my personal details are almost identical to yours. It's really uncanny the similarities. You know, it was depressing enough to have to live with chronic pain and the exorbitant amount I have to pay ($450.00) EACH month for my pain doctor and medication. But when you add to it- losing almost all of my teeth, in my early forties and not being able to afford to do anything about it because every spare penny I have is dedicated to paying a doctor each month to treat my pain just so I can keep living and I have really begun to feel hopeless. I can barely eat and it is so embarassing that I rarely ever leave my home except to go to my doctor visits. Don't get me wrong, I am grateful that I am able to be treated with Methadone because it is the only pain medication that has ever really worked and that doesn't wear off so quickly. In fact without it, I would not even be able to walk.

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The only real complaints I have are that it has destroyed my teeth and I have absolutely no energy at all when taking it. But anyone who has severe and chronic pain knows that treating your pain with some level of effectiveness is always at the top of your list of needs and wants because without adequate pain relief you have no quality of life whatsoever. Not to mention, you are of no real help to anyone else when you are suffering terribly. My heart truly goes out to all of you who find yourselves in this same situation. I continue to pray it will not always be like this for people in chronic pain, that we won't always be forced to contend with substandard and costly medical treatment, forced to let other serious medical conditions go untreated just so we can afford to treat that condition which screams the loudest with pain. I hope those of us, who have had to deal with sacrificing our dental health( teeth and gums) for some level of pain relief, do not end up paying an even greater price by developing more serious health conditions such as "infected heart valves" and other heart problems which can be caused by poor dental health.
If those of you reading this have any possibly helpful information, references, or suggestions you can offer, please do. It will be greatly appreciated by those of us dealing with these problems. Thanks so much.

I live in Seattle also and take approx. 80 mg. daily for chronic pain myself and have had problems with teeth breakage, in the back thank God, as I am a woman and very vain, but i know what you mean about not being able to afford dental work. It's ridiculous and now we don't even have the option of U of W students working on our mouths. There ARE dentists out there that will do what they can for you and take payments, it's just a matter of finding one and there are also a couple of ins. programs that are very inexpensive and will pay for 50% of some of the bigger procedures, varying %'s on different things you need done. I have often thought of just writing to one of the Hollywood dentists we see doing things for free on television and trying to get some help from one of them. No kidding. Anyway, just wanted you to know that you're not alone and I too am on SSI so know i won't be getting 20K worth of implants without a lottery win.

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But do check into various dentists and maybe the ins. programs, they run about $7 a mo. and any help is better than none. Also, it's possible to get partials depending on where your tooth damage is and i know of a couple of girlfriends that have gotten them and looked WONDERFUL!, much better than even when their regular teeth were good, so good luck to you and start checking around, i know that you can at least get your needed work done by getting on a list at Salvation Army and also, there is a dental place in Kent or Auburn that you can get work done if you go and wait there, so if having pain and no money, make some calls, i'm sure there's something in the north end also. DSHS may know of some places that will do sliding scale. I have 2 bad on left side and 1 on right and as soon as the right one got better, the two left started aching, trying antibiotics and liquid orajel in the bottle (yellow stuff) is pretty good for numbing the pain. We know our methadone doesn't help it! Take Care.
p.s. There are clinical studies, i don't know of any so far for teeth, but check w/Summit Research and see if they know of any, if so, let me know!

I am 45 yrs old and I just had all my bottom teeth pulled out due to being on morphine, MsCotin, vicodin, etc. I had terrible issues with dry mouth and my teeth literally rotted from the inside out. It only took 3-years, I'd say. When my husband and I got married I took full advantage of his dental insurance. In our 10 years together, I was able to get my top front teeth covered with porcelin vaneers, then I had missing back teeth so they replaced those with permanent bridges. So, it looks like I have all my top teeth. I wonder if thats the reason why my top teeth were not affected, I don't know. But, I am mortified at having to wear lower dentures. Its only been 3wks and I hope it gets better. I know I have to allow the swelling to go down to get the plate relined..but wow, I hate them. I valued my smile, my smile has gotten me many compliments throughout the years. It broke my heart to have to have them all pulled out. Not to mention painful, they were breaking off.

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I ended up having to get most cut out and my gums stiched. I'm still getting sore spots, only to find pieces of bone or tooth fragments. But, what can ya do? We do what we can with what we have, right? Heck, none of us asked for chronic pain either. I know I sound so ungrateful and I apologize. I am glad I at least had Dental insurance to help with the cost of the extractions and plate. It was $560.00 total. But, I hope and pray I can one day get permanent bottoms screwed in... I can't even imagine the cost. But, for now I am dealing with a cheating husband who walked out on me for a 25 year old bimbo. Only for him to leave her preggers four months later. Then he desided to quit his job, which caused me to loose my Health, Dental, and vision insurance. Thank God, he clicked his heals and moved back to Kansas. I am a talker, so thank you for allowing me to vent and to share my story. Just my Penny's worth.

For Trish Ann, I read your comment and I do sympathize with your situation. I have had eight spinal surgeries and a total of 27 surgeries altogether. Medicaid may pay for pulling your teeth, if they are badly decayed but beware they will not pay for the dentures and Medicare will not pay for dentures either. I'm sorry. That's pretty crappy but look around for clinics that will give you a set of teeth for $250 and you might try checking our the dental schools. As for the weight, start out with taking just a walk every day and graduate to other physical exercises that will help with your weight. As for food, try just eating three meals a day, eating pretty much what you want (reasonably) but cut the portion down to small portions. No cheating and no snacking after dinner, Drink lots of water. It will help fill you up and will also flush out your system. Don't forget to have faith and pray. Prayer is good for all of us.

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Keep trying with the dental schools and don't give up. Also, it is possible that a church might offer some type of financial aid for you in your situation. Good luck and there are people out here who care about you. As for the methadone, I think it is great. It is not perfect but it has been the best drug I have ever been prescribed. However, getting off it is probably next to impossible. I tried to and I thought I was going to lose my mind. I hope they never stop making it. I don't know what I would do.

I also had never had any teeth problems out of the ordinary until I started on methadone within two years they all rotted out at the gumline.Lets fsce it ,if you want to drop someones I.Q. 50% just black out one of their teeth. I'm patying for the tasteless jokes made in my youth about toothless people I also empathise with those taking this drug for long term pain treatment. It's no secret that we are dconfused with heroin addicts.after much research I found that this is really the best longtearm treatment out there if you don't abuse it.

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If you like me must have them pulled and go to dentures,a few bits of advice.My insurance although Blue Cross only had $1000 per year cap, so try to start this process at the end of the year so that the new year comes into play soon,instead of me who started in January, Had 90% of my teeth pulled and then spent a year eating soup.Also don,t wait until they break off because then it becomes oral surgery, much more cost and I think you will lose them anyway.
If you can save a few good ones that can be repaired without highcost root canals and caps. go for a Cue Sil which uses the remaining theeth to anchor your dentures,next best thing to posts which cost upwards of $1000 dollars ea. and aren't covered by insurance. Finally shop around for the pulling part,I paid close to 3 grand for my lowers and less than 500 for uppers. not a bit of difference in quality of workmanship or the dentures themselves. If only someone had told me these things before I had to face this nightmare. Sounds like there IS a founded reason for a class action suit.I asked my doctor at the time this rapid change started and he had no idea that methadone pills could cause this.
Not until I got on this sight did I have any idea that this might be the cause of my rapid dental decline.And, I have also had professional dental people refer to my problem as" Meth Mouth " which we laymen all know that's a complet
ly different animal.
Thank you all for your input, and Maybe we all can convince someone to start a class action to pay for this terrible side effect. One more thing for those without insurance, there are some dentists that have a free day everyonce in a while and most Denture companies are more than willing to work with you on payment. Most insurance Co.s only pay 50% for dentures and crowns.
Hope some of my bad experiences can be avoided, and anyone making this transition will be as easy as it possibly can!

I have not been on methadone, but have been on Norco for the past 7 years after a horrific car accident. I had always had good teeth, but 3 years ago they started getting decay and chipping. I spent a great deal of money on root canals, etc. I finally ended up getting my back bottom teeth pulled and a partial put in. Then my front teeth just started falling out at the gum line. I was horrified and looked horrible. I could not go to work looking like that, and quit my job of 23 years. My husband has good insurance, but the dental part sucked as do most dental benefits. Long story short, I had all my teeth pulled last year and now wear dentures and I am only 50 yrs. old. I had the bottom ones fitted with implants so they do not come out when eating. But I hate them. There is nothing like your own teeth. My dentist said that this "rotting" was caused from dry mouth from the opiates. He said anyone who takes morphine, vicodin, methadone, etc. is at risk of losing their teeth.

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Just another blow to us who suffer chronic pain and can't live without our meds. I get so mad at people who call us addicts or weak. I would give anything ot be able to live a normal life without medications. And I would give anything to have my real teeth back. I wish I had known about the tooth decay when I went on the meds so I could have taken some precautions. To those of you who still have your teeth. Keep hydrated, and use Biotene. Keep it in your purse or car and constantly keep your mouth moist. This may save your teeth. I wish I had known

I have been taking Methadone for about 6 years for severe chronic pain. Nothing else has provided any relief from constant nerve pain. I have never taken any kind of illegal drugs so you can't put the blame there. I have been going to the same dentist every 6 months for the past 17 years and have enjoyed almost perfect teeth all my life. That is until about 2 years ago when my teeth literally began rotting out of my mouth. In the last 6 months alone, the decay has progressed to the point that I have lost 4 teeth. I just saw my dentist last week and he was in shock. Even though I have tried everything to combat the decay, nothing has worked. I use Biotene toothpaste, mouth spray and gum, rinse with Listerine and drink water constantly, along with swishing and spitting. I now have to have ALL my teeth extracted, except for 4 front, upper teeth and eight front, lower teeth.

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I am devastated! I read on another medical website that Methadone depletes the calcium in your teeth adding to the tooth decay. Also, Methadone continues to build up in your system and can take a long time to really cause a problem. I knew about the dry mouth (hence all the Biotene products), however most pain medication will cause dry mouth. I don't know if the depletion of calcium is true or not but, with this many people having problems with one medication, it seems like some studies need to be done. I sympathize with all of you having this problem. If anyone knows how I can save the rest of my teeth, please post.

I have read several different posts on several different websites and it all comes down to this. I was in a 104 mph car accident as a rear passenger at 18 and it tore my shoulder and especially my spine to shreds. I took up to 30 hydrocodone 10 mlg. per day for 10 years and had perfect teeth. I only had 4 very tiny cavities from when I was a kid is all I had wrong even through and after the hydrocodone. I found my mother dead in her home when I was 28 at a complete surprise of course. Come to find out it was a combination of different types of pain medications that the same Dr. prescribed to her at different times was the cause of her death and I vowed to get off of hydrocodone. Thinking that I was taking the safe route I went to Methadone and after only 2 years of 80 mlgs. of liquid methadone I have lost all of my upper teeth along with the slow decay of my lower teeth now.

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The methadone clinic refuses to admit that it has anything to do with the methadone at all and it is probably because the methadone makes me crave sweets. Funny thing is, I don't eat sweets, never really been the type of person to eat anything too sweet I have always liked more food like home cooked food. I also drink nothing but water and milk and brushed the teeth I used to have twice a day. I think that is a perfect example that the liquid methadone rots your teeth from the inside out, the first pieces of your teeth to chip away are the little slivers of tooth that are against your gums. Then your tooth is sensative to cold anything and you could easily pull the tooth out at this point if you really wanted to but it would just break off leaving the root stuck in your jaw. Sorry if this is too graffic but I just want to let other people know what happens and how it happened to me.