CancerCompass message board discussion started by Velvetjb on 1/12/2006 http://www.cancercompass.com/message-board/message/all,4024,0.htm Wed, 08 Oct 2008 00:00:00 GMT Wed, 08 Oct 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://backend.userland.com/rss RSS.NET: http://www.rssdotnet.com/ Has anyone had any jaw bone problems with bisphosphonates? Apparently some bisphosphonates can cause jaw bone necrosis. I can't find any information on how this now recognised adverse event begins. Yes, info on necrosis but not early symptoms. I have had bisphosphonate treatment for about 5 years. I have breast cancer mets to the bones. I have a piece of exposed jaw bone in my mouth on the lower jaw/gum. I haven't had teeth there for many years. It started about a year ago with a swelling and tendeness and progressed to a small abcess. A week or two after a piece of bone appeared and has progressively got bigger in height, length and width, now occupying the space of 3 double teeth and half as high. I have a dragging sensation, faint, dull ache, the gum gets sore and the side of my face is slightly swollen. My dental surgeon has no idea, her colleagues had a look and have never seen anything like it. My oncologist asked me to have an OPG X ray and said there was no evidence of necrosis (nor cancer according to the bone scan) but isn't happy that it is there and to see the maxillo-facial surgeon end Jan 06. If anyone has any experience of this kind of problem please reply, thank you, Velvet Velvetjb Thu, 12 Jan 2006 00:00:00 GMT Just to update: It is now some 9 months since I last reported my jawbone coming through my gum. It is osteonecrosis of the jawbone, it has been infected and the pain was just unbelievable however, I was prescribed metronidazole and soon after I completed the course a piece of bone broke off. Now left with an exposed area I wondered if this would be a point of entry for bacteria? But if bacteria could get in surely it could just as easily get out? Since that time another piece of bone has broken off and this time it bled for about three hours. Apart from the time of infection the pain has remained constant but not severe. I have tried several mouthwashes, both prescribed and 'over the counter' but to date the best has been hot salty water. At the present time the extruded bone appears to be infection free. I would like to hear from anyone who has or thinks they have this condition. Velvet B Velvetjb Thu, 10 Aug 2006 00:00:00 GMT Hi Velvet,I am new to this website and have just read your message. My husband developed osteonecrosis of the jawbone after having received Zometa intravenously for about a year. It started just as you described - gum pain followed by exposed bone. I was furious when I found out it was related to the drugs he was receiving to help "keep his bones strong". I never saw anything in the literature we were given about it. Anyway, he now sees the oral surgeon every 2 or 3 weeks so she can keep an eye on it and file down the exposed bone as needed, since his tongue sometimes gets rubbed raw by it and causes him severe pain. He did have a piece of the bone break off as you did, but the oral surgeon said that was a good thing and the gum has actually grown back in that area. It has been about 5 months now since we discovered the osteonecrosis. I would love to hear from you to see how you are doing, after having dealt with this for over a year. Has your jawbone improved at all?  I'm wondering what the long term effects of this disease are.Best of luck to you,Jodi     Jodi1 Mon, 07 May 2007 00:00:00 GMT