Anyone heard of teeth decaying after years of taking prescrip. pain meds?Before taking them they were perfect.

Answer 1

Yes- it can happen. That's what happens with heroin users as well- opioids, taken over a long period, can damage bones.

Answer 2

No, sorry.
1. Teeth are not bone. Bone is a living tissue with cells inside, that is why bone can repair. But teeth are much stronger and denser than bone (and a different substance) because it is all mineral with no cells interspersed.
2. Aspirin also does not cause damage to teeth for the same reason. Only difference is that aspirin is acidic, so I suppose that if you drank a lot of soluble aspirin it could theoretically cause erosion, but not decay.
3. Tetracyclines only cause discolouration. There is evidence that they actually result in slightly stronger teeth than normal.
4. The only proviso to 1 and 2 above is that damage can occur to teeth if there is a disturbance to growth during the developmental stage. Usually it's the illness itself e.g. high fevers, sometimes it's the medication e.g. chemotherapy. However, most adult teeth have started to form their crowns by the age of 2, and are completed by age 9. So it is only between the ages of 0-9 where some damage COULD be caused, and that might be seen when the teeth come fully thru.
I think the answer above had the primary cause, in that perhaps you weren't in a fit state to properly maintain your teeth, or go to a dentist for regular checkups. Hey, we all slip up sometimes - I've had my share of fillings as a youngster! But with proper care and treatment, you can stop from getting MORE decay. Best wishes.

Answer 3

What you are describing is not unusual, but it's not that the pain-killers CAUSE tooth decay, it's just that tooth decay is likely to accumulate over the years a person is taking pain-killers because the drugs prevent the person from feeling discomfort from the decay. During that same period of time, if you were not taking pain killers you would have felt pain and gone to the dentist. In that case, I agree that the total number of cavities would be the same, but you would have taken care of these over a longer period of time, rather than becoming aware of a large number of them all at once after you went off the pain killers and could feel the pain.

Another factor in your situation may be because people on drugs generally aren't very motivated to take care of themselves, or just don't have the energy.

Answer 4

Yes absolutely, some drugs like tetracyclines can cause staining but luckily that is reversible......you can ask for deep bleaching at the dentist's office and that should make a huge difference, normally that would cost around 500 dollars but it's very well worth it

Answer 5

Yes. I was warned when my child developed Juvenille Rheumatory Arthritis that she would be going on aspirin and that it could potentially cause problems with her teeth. And as an adult now it has.

Answer 6

yes