Boy oh Boy am I pissed. I wear dentures and about a month ago my left bottom gum/jaw started to hurt. Got up one morning and the damn thing was all swollen infected with little white spots all over the top. I was getting ready for our trip to Colorado and didn't want to be bothered with going to the dentist. Plus we'd lost our GM paid dental insurance so I wasn't prepared to dig into our vacation money to get this mess checked out. (So far it's cost me $1,225.00)
So I went to my doctor who was a lot cheaper than going to a dentist and he gave me some medication that seemed to improve it. Enough for me to make our trip. But once we returned it came back and lots worse and very painful. So I realized I had no choice but to go to a dentist. Now here's where the pissing and bitching comes in....I'm on a once a month bone pill, prescribed for me because my damn bone density test came back a little below the normal mark. So stupid me, I put complete trust in this damn pill. Usually I do research before popping anything in my mouth, but not this time. So after 5 years of having this medication in my system it decides to attack my Gum/jaw bone, enough that I now have a part of the bone showing with no skin over it. Dentist is doing his best to control this before I lose my jaw. That's the worst that could happen, but unlikely. I pray he's right.
Just can't believe a pill that's suppose to help build your bones is actually now killing mine. And this isn't just the one bone pill that does this, it's all of them. So if your taking a bone pill prescribed by your doctor be very very very alert to any changes in your gums or teeth. My girlfriend has her own teeth and is dealing with the same problem I am. Her fillings are not staying in and one of her crowns is a mess, that has been worked on for 2 years and still not doing to good. The skin seems to be dying all around the tooth. With infections constantly causing her pain with this tooth. But she wants to save it...which it may not be able to be saved. So she keeps putting money into it. Her dentist is now at the last procedure, and if this doesn't work then there's is no hope for her tooth. She's got enough invested in her mouth to buy a nice used car....is a shame that the pill she was on has caused this. She no longer takes them either. She was on one of the other doctor prescribed bone medications.
So if you have dental work done and there's lots of complications(All Of A Sudden) then keep an eye on your gums around that tooth, if anything looks or feels strange.....get to your dentist. In fact let your dentist know your on a prescribed bone pill. See what he thinks about continuing. Lots of women are on these meds and may never have a problem. But do you wanna wait till 5 years or more have gone by and POW> it hits. And once the damage is done no telling how long it takes to get all the medication out of your system, plus there is no cure once the damage starts or how much worse it could get over the years. NO ONE KNOWS !
It's all up to you. I wish I'd of read a journal post like this before I'd ever consented to taking the damn pill.
To those of you that are on these meds and have had no side effects, that is fabulous and I pray you never have to deal with what I'm dealing with today. But it wouldn't hurt to check out the many side effects and just keep an eye on your gums and teeth. Especially after having dental work done.
So decide for yourself what you should do, if your on these medications, discuss it with your doctor. Don't just quit taking them.. Do the research to alternatives. I myself have gotten off it, with the consent of my doctor. I have decided on an alternative, that I know won't ever hurt me or kill my bones.
The company's say, percentage wise these medications aren't affecting that many women that are on them. Well let me tell you, their just not advertising the real number of women that these meds have hurt. Or the women aren't reporting it. I have and my doctor will also let the company know.
Again...do the research. With computers there isn't anything you can't find on the Internet. There's lots of info out there. I even found web sites of others that are suffering the same thing that I am some even worse than I. But I've just gotten this, no telling what will happen down the road. I realize that any drug we take is a risk, but for some reason I didn't think the news was talking about the bone medication that I was on. Plus after 5 years of taking it, I thought I was pretty safe. But nope.....now I must deal with my stupidity.
PS> First thing the dentist said to me after seeing the damage is>>>>Are you on a bone pill? He used the proper name for these medications but it's easier for me to say Bone pill. My friends dentist said the same to her.
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