You must have heard of Suboxone, which is one of the most famous drugs to treat mainly opioid dependence and to control or treat the withdrawal symptoms. But, when some people used it, this drug helped them, no doubt, but it did something else as well, and that resulted in not just one Suboxone Lawsuit, but many of them by so many people out there. And that’s why it is super important for us to at least talk about it for those future users of this drug.
What Is Suboxone?
Suboxone is a medication that doctors prescribe for the cure of opioid dependence or opioid use disorder. It has two active ingredients which are buprenorphine and naloxone. The type that is most talked about in these lawsuits is the dissolving film. This film is placed under the tongue or in the cheek, and it remains in the mouth until it dissolves. That is a very important detail because the people who are suing say that this repeated exposure of the drug with the teeth is where the actual problem began.
Suboxone was originally released in 2002, and as it was being used increasingly, it became one of the top drugs for opioid dependence treatment. Because it was used by so many, the number of lawsuits also increased drastically.
Why Are People Filing These Lawsuits?
All in all, no matter which lawsuit you look at, you’ll mainly find one claim at the very top, and that has everything to do with the dissolving film of Suboxone, which is the one that is causing all those dental problems. More simply, a lot of folks are explaining that they used the drug exactly as directed; however, they were still left with severely damaged teeth.
Dental problems that are most commonly cited are tooth decay, dental caries, enamel wear, broken teeth, infections, abscesses and, in extreme cases, total tooth loss. For quite a few people, the harm was quite extensive. It required dental reconstruction procedures such as fillings, crowns, root canals, extractions, dentures, and implants.
Why Do People Say Suboxone Film Damages Teeth?
Well, when you hear the real accounts of people, you’ll see most of them complaining about how acidic their mouth feels like after the film of Suboxone is dissolved. And this pH level, around 3.4, is what is damaging to the tooth enamel. That’s the entire issue we’re talking about here in all those lawsuits out there.
According to almost all the cases, the main issue has only to do with the 5 to 10 minutes of it being present in the mouth and causing that acidic environment that is the main root of the problem here.
Besides that, some individuals point out dry mouth as another cause. Saliva typically acts as a protector of the teeth, and in case the mouth remains dry, the likelihood of dental problems can increase significantly.
What Injuries Are People Claiming?
The range of dental problems that people are reporting are quite diverse in actuality. Some have experienced serious decay or cavities, some have chipped or cracked their teeth, while others have suffered enamel damage, gum problems, infections, abscesses, and some have even lost all their teeth.
Dental pain and discomfort aside, many individuals had to face the high dental treatment costs as this also affected them financially. Filling, crowns, root canal therapy, tooth extraction, dentures, and implants are among the dental procedures which have been noted in the reports. Actually, several reports show that people have paid tens of thousands of dollars to get their dental problems fixed.
That is why there is so much buzz and attention stirred up around these lawsuits. Besides physical pain, it is also about the long treatment, the effect on one’s looks, ability to eat, talk, and changes in the overall daily life.
