Bisphosphonates are a type of medication that may be used to treat osteoporosis or used in patients who are having cancer treatment. Women often are the most common group of people that take these medications. The most common names of these medications are Boniva, Fosamax or Actonel but there are others. These medications can help strengthen your bones, but can have dangerous risks to your oral health.
It is recommended that patients who start taking bisphosphonate medications alert their dental professionals that they are taking these medications. These medications should not stop you form receiving routine dental care. In fact it is important to continue routine dental care to prevent the need for invasive dental treatment.
In the event that you may need more complex dental treatment there is a simple blood test that can be done to determine now these medications have affected you. The test results will help you and our dental office determine how to proceed toward your dental treatment. Much like your physician does a pre surgical physical and blood test to ensure you are healthy during surgery, this blood test allows us to have the same knowledge about keeping you healthy and the success of your dental treatment.
The results of the simple blood test will tell us if the bisphosphonate medication in your system with put you at high or low risk of complications, that being osteoradionecrosis of the jaw. It can best be described as bone death, where the affected area literally dissolves or rots away. This test illustrates the connection between the mouth and the rest of your body and reinforces the ideal that what happens in the mouth can affect your entire body. We are proud to be charter members of the American Academy for Oral Systemic Health where practioners learn to treat you being mindful of your overall health, not just your teeth.
