RSS
Twitter
Facebook
Fosamax can have dental impactA tooth extraction generally involves mild but temporary pain, which diminishes in the short time it takes the wound in our mouth to heal from the procedure. But for people who are taking bisphosphonates, a relatively common class of drug, even a common tooth extraction can lead to painful jaw disease. Bisphosphonates are drugs used to treat osteoporosis, malignant bone cancers, multiple myeloma and Paget's disease (a metabolic bone disorder). These drugs are very effective in controlling bone pain and preventing pathologic fractures in patients with these conditions. There are generally very few side effects associated with its use. But in a small number of patients taking bisphosphonates, tooth extractions or irritation from dentures can lead to exposure of the jaw bone, followed by infection and death of affected bone, known as osteonecrosis of the jaw. Aside from causing intense pain that cannot be alleviated with ordinary painkillers, this can lead to loosening of teeth, loss of dental implants, bad breath, infections of the face and neck, difficulty eating and headaches. In severe cases, patients may even have difficulty breathing or possibly require a feeding tube to avoid malnutrition. Currently there is no effective treatment for the condition. Fortunately the risk of this jawbone necrosis following a tooth extraction is less than 1 percent of all patients taking bisphosphonates.The patients most at risk are those over the age of 55 who are medically compromised and taking the drugs for non-osteoporotic bone disease. These patients are typically on high, intravenous doses of potent nitrogen-containing bisphosphonates zoledronate (brand name Zometa), pamidronate (Aredia or Pamisol) or alendronate (Fosamax). For these patients, the risk of developing necrosis following an extraction is almost 30 percent. Of those suffering from necrosis, about one-third will experience severely debilitating symptoms. Since the discovery of a possible association between bisphosphonates and bone death was reported by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2004, evidence for the link has been mounting and cases have been reported worldwide. Healthy bone, including jaw tissue, is renewed on a constant basis. Cells called osteoclasts resorb old, damaged bone while osteoblasts build new bone. In diseases such as osteoporosis, the balance between these resorptive and building processes goes wrong. The activity of osteoclasts overwhelms that of the osteoblasts, causing a reduction in bone turnover. Consequently, the new bone that is formed is brittle and prone to suffer fractures.  Fosamax Lawyer | Fosamax patent regained | Fosamax can be fatal | Fosamax can destroy blood vessels | Actonel surpasses Fosamax | Fosamax may do more harm than good |
