wow what a price to pay for taking a pain killer....you were on methadone at an early age too...that is pretty unusual....hope the pain is controlled now...sorry about teeth....you probably will need dentures or implants....which are really expensive but better than dentures....

Sadly its not just Methadone, all longterm use of Narcotics or Opioids can and usually do cause tooth/gum problems. In the last few years I've spent $9000.00 - $12,500.00 on tooth repairs, bridges, issues. LOL I have a broken molar as we speak that I'm just ignoring until it becomes a problem. The meds just destroy the teeth, and some have adverse effects on your gums as well.

Take care,

Kat

Hi. I had great teeth all my life until I started on pain meds and now I'm like you and have pieces falling off all over the place. Right now I have either a gum infection or more holes and the pain is incredible. I had the same type of pain a couple of years ago and was told its due to the meds and stress. I don't have the hundreds of dollars it cost last time, I have to take the meds to fuction and stress is part of cp so I guess I'll judt have to get used to it.

I'm going to the pharmacy tomorrow to get the gel I had last time, can't remember what its called, but I know it numbed my mouth a little bit and gave me some relief, maybe you can ask your pharmacist for something similar? I hope you get some relief soon or, like me, keep trying to win lotto so we can afford to see a dentist lol. Take care.

Hi Heather, unfortunately one of the biggest problems caused by pain meds is dry mouth. Which according to my dentist is really hard on the teeth & can cause rapid decay. I'm on Neurontin & noticed my front teeth have a slight gray hue to them. The drug is causing them to change color from inside out. I like Kat spent well over $11,000.00 last year on bridges & crowns. My last visit in Feb I had the molar pulled on bottom left it was the molar right in front of where my wisdom tooth should have been. Even though it had a crown already on it brand new as of last year it started to bother me. My dentist did not do a root canal prior to crowning it. I questioned him on it as I had always had a root canal before crown. Anyhow decay was too bad it had to be pulled. The last couple of weeks the tissue back there has become really tender again. I put my finger back there & felt around & much to my surprise he missed part of the tooth which has worked its way to the gum surface & is coming in sideways towards the inside of the mouth. He's a complete Moran excuse my language but this is twice. I will go back to have it taken care of but if he thinks I'm paying a dime he's mistaken....sorry got on a little tangent. One thing that really helped my dry mouth is sucking on mini altoids. Not only do you get fresh breath but your mouth stays moist. Also try using Biotine mouthwash & toothpaste this keeps the mouth moist. My dentist also gave me a RX for a toothpaste that has more fluoride in and protects the remaining enamel one last thing if you eat anything sweet or drink a pop rinse your mouth well with water or even carry a mini travel toothbrush & tooth paste. I know these suggestion don't help fix your problem know, but hopefully it will help to prevent future problems. I wish you all the best I know it's no fun.

Hugs & God Bless
Lisa

You might be able to get your teeth capped. A lot of people do that as an alternative. I also have gum problems. I had them way before I started taking opiates. I had to have a deep cleaning and will have to have another one pretty soon. I have lost some bone and had to have a back molar removed a few years back. Sometime in the future I will have to look into either dentures or dental implants. I hope things get better for you. Hugs!

Hi nice to meet you I'm Paula. I'm sorry your going through this. Specially at your age. I have heard like others of said of our pain meds causing teeth problems. But what your describing sounds like Periodontal Disease also and can be fixed. Have you gone and been checked out to see exactly what's wrong? I hope it is something that can be corrected. And things get better.

Best wishes always,

Paula

Paula is correct you need to check that out you may have both going on. Another med that causes tooth decay are the statins that help keep the cholesterol low. It seems everything has some side effect.

So sorry you are having to deal with this. Find a good dentist that will help you. We were told the statin pulled calcium from the teeth. Tums have calcium in them and also help the stomach so chew on tums. I don't know if it is helping the teeth, but it helps the stomach. :)

BTW, our primary doctor says that the medications have nothing to do with teeth problems. Make sure you find a dentist who understands that you want to keep your teeth in good condition as long as possible.

Best wishes-RJ

Thank you everyone for your input.

I have not went to see a dentist yet because I am scared of what they will tell me. I am sure there is some kind of infection in there because the one side of my mouth is basically falling apart. Luckily no teeth are missing yet, but pieces here and there isn't very attractive either.
It's not painful, it's only painful when a new decay hole starts on a tooth.

Also my teeth are yellow from this D: No matter how many times I brush them they wont go white again. Is this because the enamell is gone? Is there anyway for me to get white teeth again?

It's also unforunate because I do need painkillers because of my back but cannot take them right now because I am pregnant. When I do go back on painkillers, any suggestions for ones that wont speed up the process of decay? I was on dilaudid and percocet as well (after the methadone, for pain management), not sure if that made my teeth worse or not.


Thanks!

I was on methadone for 8 years,beginning at age 32, and now I need over 10,000 dollars worth of dental work.I had perfect teeth before I started taking methadone. I think some of it has to do with the dry mouth it caused and some of it had to do with the apathy and incredible depression that methadone made worse, causing me not to adhere to a strict dental hygiene habit., as I had before methadone. That drug, in general, almost ruined my life. I would only recommend it for hospice patients now.

I was on methadone for 8 years,beginning at age 32, and now I need over 10,000 dollars worth of dental work.I had perfect teeth before I started taking methadone. I think some of it has to do with the dry mouth it caused and some of it had to do with the apathy and incredible depression that methadone made worse, causing me not to adhere to a strict dental hygiene habit., as I had before methadone. That drug, in general, almost ruined my life. I would only recommend it for hospice patients now.
I can relate to what you say about being afraid to go to the dentist. In fact I just got the nerve up finally to go to the dentist last week and find out what I was wrong. I feel so much relief now at least knowing what the plan is.