Suboxone Dental Decay Claims in Los Angeles

What do the Suboxone lawsuits allege?

Suboxone sublingual film is held under the tongue or against the cheek until it dissolves. The film is acidic. The lawsuits allege that daily use caused severe decay, fracture and loss of teeth, and that the manufacturer knew prolonged acid contact could destroy teeth and did not warn patients or prescribers for more than a decade after the film came to market.

In January 2022 the FDA issued a safety communication about dental problems reported with buprenorphine medicines dissolved in the mouth, including tooth decay, cavities, erosion, fillings falling out and tooth loss, and label changes followed. The claim says that warning came years after the damage was already happening, and that people using the film did not know of the risk or that rinsing after each dose was advisable.

A claim generally alleges a failure to warn: that the dental risk was known or knowable, that it was not adequately communicated, and that this person’s use contributed to this person’s dental damage. Both halves have to be proved. The cases are consolidated before a federal judge, but this is not a class action: each claim stays separate, built on that person’s own prescription history, dental records and outcome.

What records do Suboxone claims need?

The proof is at the dentist, and almost always at several different dentists. Two things are needed.

• Prescription records from the pharmacy showing when the film was dispensed and for how long.
• Dental records: the chart showing your teeth before and after, x-rays, treatment notes describing erosion or widespread decay, and the bills for extractions, root canals, crowns, bridges, implants or dentures.

In practice many people lost teeth at low cost clinics, at several different clinics, at a dental school or in Tijuana. All of that counts and all of it can be requested. If you have before and after photos, keep them. The value of a case also turns on what is still to be done: a mouth that needs implants or a full denture is costly to restore, and that figure has to come from a dentist’s written estimate, not a guess. We request the records for you, in Spanish and with no cost up front.

How long do you have to file a Suboxone claim in California?

• Two years to file a personal injury suit, under Code of Civil Procedure section 335.1.
• Delayed discovery. For injuries that appear later, the two years can run from when the injury and its likely cause were, or should have been, discovered. Dental damage often builds slowly, so the date you connected it to the film can matter.

This is applied to the facts of each person, so have your dates reviewed instead of assuming a deadline has passed.

Should you stop taking Suboxone for a claim?

No. None of this is a criticism of the treatment itself. If you are still taking it, ask your prescriber about dental monitoring and keep taking what you have been prescribed. That decision belongs to you and your doctor, not to this claim.

What compensation may be sought in a Suboxone claim?

• Dental treatment costs, past and future, including extractions, root canals, crowns, bridges, implants and dentures.
• Pain and suffering and the effect on eating, speaking and daily life.
• Emotional distress over the loss of teeth and appearance.
• Lost earnings where treatment or the condition kept you from work.
• Punitive damages under Civil Code section 3294, only where malice, oppression or fraud can be shown.

No outcome or value can be promised. It depends on the dental records, the pharmacy history, your other risk factors and how the litigation develops.

How much does a Suboxone dental lawyer cost?

No fee unless there is a recovery. Broukhim Legal PC takes these cases on a contingency fee, so there is nothing to pay up front and the fee is paid out of what is recovered. If nothing is recovered, no fee is owed. The fee agreement is put in writing and signed before any work starts, as California law requires (Business and Professions Code section 6147), and the costs of running the case are explained in that same agreement rather than left to the end. Your first conversation is free, confidential and carries no obligation.

Where we handle Suboxone claims

Mass tort claims are taken on for clients across Los Angeles County: Santa Clarita, Long Beach, Pasadena, Glendale, Burbank, Torrance, Inglewood, Pomona, Downey, Norwalk, El Monte, Santa Monica and West Covina. These cases are consolidated in federal or state court rather than heard locally, so where you live does not limit the claim. Broukhim Legal PC works from 550 S Hill Street in downtown Los Angeles.

Read about our other mass tort cases, see all locations we serve, or tell us what happened for a free case review.

Meet your Los Angeles Suboxone dental injury lawyer

Bejan Broukhim, Founder and Lead Attorney
State Bar of California, license number 183036

Bejan Broukhim brings years of California legal experience to injury and mass tort cases and personally reviews each one. He earned his J.D. at the University of West Los Angeles School of Law, served as a judicial extern in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court and the Van Nuys Superior Court, and appeared in preliminary hearings as a certified law clerk with the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office. Every case is prepared from day one as though it will go to trial.

Office: 550 S Hill Street, Suite 1390, Los Angeles, CA 90013, serving all of Los Angeles County and California. Get directions