Dental extraction while taking Prolia,

Just had an extraction. this is my third in the last five years. Just wanted to mention that an extraction is a real and serious procedure. And healing from it is no joke. So, I certainly would imagine that other conditions mixed in with getting an extraction, could cause some difficulties.

After 1 year I finally have my front tooth permanent implant. It has been a tough journey with a graft etc rebuilding the bone before proceeding with drilling the post into the bone. I stopped using prolia immediately and just take vitamins. I will never go back to injectable bone building medication. Not with the risk of necrosis!! All turned out well in the end but it took a long slow year to have a plastic retainer in my mouth. Thank you for your concern

Hi Tina, There can a level of risk with most every medication we take. What helps us decide whether to take them or not are the risk/reward factors.
In the case of bone loss medications, while there may be a slight risk for osteonecrosis, for most people who take these meds, it can prevent them from debilitating fractures associated with bone loss. The instances of osteonecrosis are rare, but seen on occasion in cancer patients who are receiving chemotherapy, which can slow the healing process. For most healthy people the risk factor is low.

It’s excellent that you’ve had a great outcome with your tooth implant. Sounds like your bone and tissue healed successfully and you have your smile back! ☺️
I wish you well with the vitamin supplements you’re taking instead of bone loss meds. But again for some people, these medications are vital and their risk of fractures and possible immobility outweigh the slight risk of necrosis from the drug.

Have you had a DEXA scan since you switched to vitamins?

@samcal9977zz,
Prolia is very good at quickly reducing fracture risk.
But it reduces risk by building bone that is avascular. Not having a normal blood supply compromises the nerve supply. Both of which make it less possible that the bone can repair itself after damage. It can result in osteonecrosis of the jaw which is decay of the jaw bone.
Normal bone rebuilding requires cells that break the bone down first. Osteoclasts emit an acidic substance that clears away older, fissured bone before osteoblasts lay down new bone. Prolia stops that process thoroughly.
In your several years of Prolia you have collected older bone without building new bone.
Not everyone on Prolia experiences osteonecrosis after having a tooth pulled.
It is important to be alert to the possibility and keep your dental surgeon aware of any new sores or pains after the dental procedures.
Implants are great.
Wishing you luck.

I had two attempted implants which failed. Might have been a great experience for you, was not for me.

I had another implant that took. It was a very very very long procedure, back and forth to the dentist for months and extremely expensive.

I would say that for an otherwise healthy person...and, oh, under 40...sure, I would say they are most likely great.

I was already in horrible health. And that horrible health interacting with that dental work did not do well.

And my dentists love money. A lot. They are huge fans of money. They did not listen to me...at all. They dismissed me, because, well, they love money. A lot. And they could have listened to me and given me much safer and more effective care.

They did not.

Did I mention they love money? Because they love money. Their devotion to truly helping patients, was less of a devotion than their devotion to money.

And, I have read articles in major publications indicating that dental care in America is picking up more and more dentists who go outside medical norms and pitch unnecessary procedures to line their pockets.

So, clearly, I am hardly alone in having these issues.

A lot of it, I am sure is being on Medicare. If you are poor, you are absolutely not treated the same way that someone with better finances is treated. It is quite shameful and also, of course, dangerous to the patient to be treated like a second class citizen, who is worthy of more pain, less care, etc. etc. etc. etc. etc.

We need to entirely regulate the whole industry. If it is done properly, a whole lot of dentists would be going to prison. Not joking. Big problems out there.

Yes, what you are describing was my kind of experience as well.

My wife has serious osteoporosis. I think her mom had it also. I forgot the details, but I think her mom had bad experiences with those medications? It was either her, or a friend of hers.

And that is how I knew about the issue.

We have a drug industry that is sometimes quite out of control and quite irresponsible.

I will mention an inside story here. I know someone who took a meeting with a US Senator from NJ. This was before the current ones in office. He was told directly, that in NJ, because of the powerful presence of drug companies, you could not stay in elected office if you opposed them.

And that is the real reality. Money and power dictates what happens. Not always, of course, but way too many times.

Drugs come onto market that really have no place being there. Basically, government has abdicated its role and just allows the drug companies to be their own monitors. And this, with millions of dollars at play. Just a potential festival of corruption.

I don't know the details of the development of these drugs. But based on the complaints, I imagine that they needed more development before coming on the market.

My cousin was in on the development of the original PC, over at IBM. He told me that the engineers brought a prototype to one of the business meetings. The business guys wanted to go ahead and send it off to production. The engineers protested that it was not ready. But the business guys pushed it into market. And if you wonder why the long history of endless problems with computers? That is one of the big reasons. Greed won and caution and safety lost.

And that happens across all kinds of businesses in America, because the companies basically pay off Congress with campaign contributions and get little or no regulation.

It is a festival of deep problems and often even dangers to the public.

Even worse, in a sense, as far as business is concerned? Entirely unnecessary. Businesses can make PLENTY of money without engaging in this kind of cavalier and dangerous attitude.

Plenty of money.

But, apparently, plenty of money is not enough for some folks.

I was alive in the 60s and 70s. Businesses were aggressive back then too. But not at this level...or anything close. We have lost basic common sense in how we run things.

samca, my interest in responding was that some dental providers and patients are not aware of the handicap that osteoporosis medications pose to recovery from dental procedures.
They are the medications you are taking. Many oral surgeons here will not undertake the process of implants while a patient is on any of the bisphosphonates, Evenity or Prolia.

You must think of dental implants as more wonderful than I do, or you wouldn't be risking a repeat of the previous failures or the expense.

No medical procedure is wonderful, certainly not bearable when they fail.

Corporations should not be allowed to contribute to political campaigns or lobby our politicians. The small stick we wave against this takeover is our vote.
You are so right about the need for reform.
You are definitely not alone.
Bless your procedure with luck

I've had similar issues. Finally said enough is enough. I'm praying nothing else goes wrong at 83, as the dentist has all my money.