Should I be concerned about bone in upper jaw because of fosamax use. Will withdrawing from it for 3 months before oral surgery help to improve the jaw bone condition? How would the withdrawal of the product help to promote better healing of the bone. Is not the damage to the bone already done. Should I wait for 3 months as my dentist has suggested?
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fosamax is a drug in a class called the bisphosphonates. it alters the biological processes that go on in the bones and slows the turn over of of the cells involved and therefore the remodelling of the bone.
One of the side affects of the drug is osteomyelitis and osteonecrosis. basically the bone gets infected and dies and this is very bad and treatment is surgical removal of the dead bone.
Having teeth taken out whilst taking bisphosphonates increases the likelyhood of this happening. Even if this doesnt happen you will take longer to heal than normal and that is why your dentist is reluctant.
the problem is that the drugs have a very long period of action and it takes a number of months for their affects to wear off completely.
be patient, it is not worth the extra risk.
Listen to your dentist, if you decide not to and something goes wrong, you will be responsible, not the dentist or the drug company. Of course you don’t want anything to go wrong, but if it does, at least you’ll have a legal avenue to get compensation