[Little52]

Is there any documented proof that either methadone or methadose is the cause of excessive tooth damage or decay.Through sources quite a few patients complain that they have acquired severe tooth decay since seeking help through methadone clinics?.

[zippysgoddess]

I am not sure if it is a documented thing, but it is well known among those who use it, or think about using it. If you check around the internet, you will find many sites with people having dental problems, not just from using Methadone, but from anyone who uses narcotics of any type for a long period of time.

They tend to leech some of the calcium out of your body which weakens your teeth, plus the dry mouth that these meds tend to cause, promotes tooth decay. Your saliva is actually a big help in preventing tooth decay since when you eat or drink, it helps to wash away some of the substances that cause dental damage, so whenever you have meds that cause severe dry mouth, more of these damaging substances sit there on your teeth allowing them to easily decay.

For anyone on long-term narcotics, methadone maintenance or anything similar that causes severe dry mouth, it should always be made clear the type of damage that can happen, so they should be told to brush and floss more often, plus use products, without sugar in them, that can help keep their mouths moist and wash away food debris. They sell several items now, OTC, that you can find in most grocery or drug stores that can help with dry mouth, plus drinking water to rinse the stuff away can also help. Rinsing with a mouthwash or treatment that can help strengthen your teeth, such as Act, can also be beneficial.

Of course, with their doctor's approval, they might also want to add a calcium supplement, to help replace what is lost from their bodies due to the medications they take.

I take several narcotics each day, on top of drinking flavored waters each day, without sugar, like the new Aquafina ones, since plain H2O gets very dull, my doctor also advised me to take Coral Calcium tablets, and to use Act or a similar rinse, at least a few times a week. I had bad teeth to begin with, and I am down to the point where all I have left are my front teeth, so I didn't need anymore problems! LOL!

At a different site I work for, id'ing pills and providing side effect med information, this has come up several times from people who noticed similar problems from various narcotics.



I also did a search to see if I could find any documented info regarding specifically Methadone and tooth decay for you, and I did find some information site pages, so here's a few links that might provide some more information:

http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/B...t?OpenDocument

"Side effects of methadone
Side effects of methadone treatment include:
Withdrawal symptoms, if your dose is too low
Lowered blood pressure, dizziness and shallow breathing, if your dose is too low
Lowered sex drive
Tooth decay - as with heroin and other opioids, methadone dries up the saliva in the mouth, resulting in tooth decay. This can be minimised with good oral hygiene
Menstrual changes
Sweating, nausea and vomiting
Skin rashes and itching.
Methadone may not suit everyone. Some people do better with residential programs or detoxification."



http://www.methadoneaddiction.net/m-effects.htm

"Tooth decay Methadone, like all opioids, reduces production of saliva.
Saliva contains antibacterial agents which help prevent deterioration of teeth
and gums. Poor or irregular diet and inadequate dental care also contribute
to tooth decay. Regular brushing and chewing sugar-free gum can prevent
tooth decay. "



http://www.potada.info/methadone.html

"Some people may also experience certain side effects that are unrelated to the dosage including:

Sweating (clients should drink at least two quarts of water per day to avoid dehydration)
Constipation
Aching muscles and joints
Lowered sex drive
Skin rashes and itching
Sedation
Fluid retention
Loss of appetite, nausea/vomiting
Abdominal cramps
Tooth decay
Irregular periods"



http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/...p/t-24718.html

"Tooth decay-Methadone, like all opioids, reduces production of saliva. Saliva contains antibacterial agents which help prevent deterioration of teeth and gums. Poor or irregular diet and inadequate dental care also contribute to tooth decay. Regular brushing and chewing sugar-free gum can prevent tooth decay. "



And all of this was just from 1page of Google search results, searching under the terms "methadone and tooth decay."

There were 9 more pages of search results, relevant to that search phrase. So you can see, it is a well-known hazard, though as with any med, it can effect some people differently, so some people will not experience any dental problems at all from it.

verwon@gmail.com

My information is not guaranteed correct. I do not get them right all the time, but I do enjoy the hunt~

[eyesbrown]

quote:Originally posted by zippysgoddess

I am not sure if it is a documented thing, but it is well known among those who use it, or think about using it. If you check around the internet, you will find many sites with people having dental problems, not just from using Methadone, but from anyone who uses narcotics of any type for a long period of time.

They tend to leech some of the calcium out of your body which weakens your teeth, plus the dry mouth that these meds tend to cause, promotes tooth decay. Your saliva is actually a big help in preventing tooth decay since when you eat or drink, it helps to wash away some of the substances that cause dental damage, so whenever you have meds that cause severe dry mouth, more of these damaging substances sit there on your teeth allowing them to easily decay.

For anyone on long-term narcotics, methadone maintenance or anything similar that causes severe dry mouth, it should always be made clear the type of damage that can happen, so they should be told to brush and floss more often, plus use products, without sugar in them, that can help keep their mouths moist and wash away food debris. They sell several items now, OTC, that you can find in most grocery or drug stores that can help with dry mouth, plus drinking water to rinse the stuff away can also help. Rinsing with a mouthwash or treatment that can help strengthen your teeth, such as Act, can also be beneficial.

Of course, with their doctor's approval, they might also want to add a calcium supplement, to help replace what is lost from their bodies due to the medications they take.

I take several narcotics each day, on top of drinking flavored waters each day, without sugar, like the new Aquafina ones, since plain H2O gets very dull, my doctor also advised me to take Coral Calcium tablets, and to use Act or a similar rinse, at least a few times a week. I had bad teeth to begin with, and I am down to the point where all I have left are my front teeth, so I didn't need anymore problems! LOL!

At a different site I work for, id'ing pills and providing side effect med information, this has come up several times from people who noticed similar problems from various narcotics.



I also did a search to see if I could find any documented info regarding specifically Methadone and tooth decay for you, and I did find some information site pages, so here's a few links that might provide some more information:

http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/B...t?OpenDocument

"Side effects of methadone
Side effects of methadone treatment include:
Withdrawal symptoms, if your dose is too low
Lowered blood pressure, dizziness and shallow breathing, if your dose is too low
Lowered sex drive
Tooth decay - as with heroin and other opioids, methadone dries up the saliva in the mouth, resulting in tooth decay. This can be minimised with good oral hygiene
Menstrual changes
Sweating, nausea and vomiting
Skin rashes and itching.
Methadone may not suit everyone. Some people do better with residential programs or detoxification."



http://www.methadoneaddiction.net/m-effects.htm

"Tooth decay Methadone, like all opioids, reduces production of saliva.
Saliva contains antibacterial agents which help prevent deterioration of teeth
and gums. Poor or irregular diet and inadequate dental care also contribute
to tooth decay. Regular brushing and chewing sugar-free gum can prevent
tooth decay. "



http://www.potada.info/methadone.html

"Some people may also experience certain side effects that are unrelated to the dosage including:

Sweating (clients should drink at least two quarts of water per day to avoid dehydration)
Constipation
Aching muscles and joints
Lowered sex drive
Skin rashes and itching
Sedation
Fluid retention
Loss of appetite, nausea/vomiting
Abdominal cramps
Tooth decay
Irregular periods"



http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/...p/t-24718.html

"Tooth decay-Methadone, like all opioids, reduces production of saliva. Saliva contains antibacterial agents which help prevent deterioration of teeth and gums. Poor or irregular diet and inadequate dental care also contribute to tooth decay. Regular brushing and chewing sugar-free gum can prevent tooth decay. "



And all of this was just from 1page of Google search results, searching under the terms "methadone and tooth decay."

There were 9 more pages of search results, relevant to that search phrase. So you can see, it is a well-known hazard, though as with any med, it can effect some people differently, so some people will not experience any dental problems at all from it.

verwon@gmail.com

My information is not guaranteed correct. I do not get them right all the time, but I do enjoy the hunt~

[rudster]

Originally Posted by Little52

Is there any documented proof that either methadone or methadose is the cause of excessive tooth damage or decay.Through sources quite a few patients complain that they have acquired severe tooth decay since seeking help through methadone clinics?.

Methadone has many misgivings concerning what it does and what it does,nt do! Fisrt of all anyone that is on a methadone program used drugs to no avail and with that comes decreasing in your hygiene and what not.Methadone used in a proper way will change your life if you include a recovery type of program with it, it takes more then losing the urge to change your way of thinking and your way of life which you have to do, methadone only stops the craving the rest is up to you... Your teeth were going to run in to trouble with or without methadone, thats a fact. It seems people tend to believe these rumors when something starts going wrong in the body it's because of methadone but we as addicts tend to forget the abuse we put are bodies through for many years and when we start to come out of the fog we realize that all the years of drug use has played a toll on our health and if we were still using you would even bother worrying about your teeth falling out , I hope people understand my point because it is a fact!

[phey]

No medication produces only a single desired effect. Patients on methadone maintenance report a wide range of side effects, especially during the early weeks or months when their daily dose of methadone is being stabilized. Here are the side effects
Constipation
Aching muscles and joints
Lowered sex drive
Skin rashes and itching
Sedation
Fluid retention
Loss of appetite
Abdominal cramps
Tooth decay
Irregular periods
Methadone maintenance a checklist of 33 assorted symptoms ranging from runny nose to loss of appetite, and asked them to check any from which they suffered. As might be expected, this highly suggestive procedure produced a bumper crop of reported symptoms Weight gain, Constipation, Delayed ejaculation , and Increased frequency of urination .

[Ster-man]

I can tell you that you don't need to be an addict to be affected by Methadone in this way. I am a pain management patient for 13 years+ now and for the last six have been on Methadone for its long term affects while I have other drugs for short term. My Dr. for the last 8 years was not a pain mgmt. Dr., just one who helped with pain patients in Hawaii, as there was no pain mgmt clinic here for a time. Now, I'm with a pain mgmt clinic, and after recently being hit with massive tooth needs, and for the last 4 years wondering why my teeth were acting so strangely and giving me cavities so often, I asked the Dentist what he thought could be the problem. He asked about dry mouth, which I said 'Yes' and then he also mentioned drugs. I put two and two together and connected my methadone use - six years - and got sick in the stomach. I realized that, if it was true, it could have been prevented. I asked my new pain Dr. - TRAINED in this field - and she confirmed it. I can tell you that the drug info brochures you get from pharmacies NEVER mention that!!! My old Dr. - God bless him - he just didn't know. Well, it's cost me a lot, though - his ignorance. A bridge yesterday for $1100 - and that was only my share of the insurance-covered procedure. More to come; two more caps at least. Yesterday was a root canal. More may follow. It's just enough to make you nausious. Anyway, let it be known to poor pain mgmt patients everywhere that it's TROUBLE.

[mas215]

Many drugs reduce saliva and cause dry mouth; anti-depressants, high blood pressure meds, all opiates, benzos, etc. You have to watch sugar intake and floss and brush more than usual. Other pain meds like percocet, oxycontin, tylenol w/ codeine, if taken for long periods of time will result in dental problems. There are many myth that surround methadone (it rots your teeth, it causes soft bones, etc.) that just aren't true. You can read more here:

http://www.medicalassistedtreatment....642/index.html

I'm 59 years old, have been on methadone maintenance for 27 years. I have all my teeth along with a great job and great family. I look at my taking methadone for my opiate addiction just as a diabetic looks at insulin. It's a drug that I'll probably be taking for the rest of my life and that's ok. I'm drug free except for the methadone and high blood pressure med. Everyone reacts differently and you have to take extra care (brushing, flossing, exercising, no alcohol, limit sugar intake) of yourself. Good luck.

[ahmrd bahy]

i take 100mg tramadol/day for (day stress)
so any sid effect

[ashley1515]

Originally Posted by Little52

Is there any documented proof that either methadone or methadose is the cause of excessive tooth damage or decay.Through sources quite a few patients complain that they have acquired severe tooth decay since seeking help through methadone clinics?.

I fully believe that methadone does cause tooth decay. My husband and brother use methadone and both have experienced decay and tooth loss.

[norcal]

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