Dental disasters are not what you sign up for when seeking help for opioid addiction. Yet, that’s exactly what some Suboxone users face—crumbling teeth, excruciating pain, and thousands of dollars in dental bills.
Here’s the deal: lawsuits against Suboxone’s manufacturer allege that they knew about these risks and failed to warn anyone. If Suboxone damaged your teeth, this might be your chance to hold them accountable and secure the financial compensation you need to make a recovery.
Don’t wait. Call LitigationConnect, LLC now at (833) 552-7274 or contact us online to find out how you can join the Suboxone lawsuit.
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What Is the Suboxone Lawsuit About?
Big Pharma loves to sell miracles, and Suboxone was supposed to be one of them—a drug to help break free from opioid addiction. But for many, that freedom came with a steep price: their teeth. The Suboxone lawsuit zeroes in on the gap between what Indivior, the drug's manufacturer, promised and what they delivered.
Background on Suboxone
Suboxone, a combination of buprenorphine and naloxone, hit the market as a game-changer for opioid addiction treatment. By reducing cravings and withdrawal symptoms, it helped thousands step off the tightrope of addiction. Its sublingual delivery method—placing a film under the tongue—was marketed as innovative and convenient.
The Problem with Suboxone
Here’s where things get ugly: patients report severe dental issues after taking Suboxone, even those with impeccable oral hygiene. Tooth decay, cavities, and full-blown tooth loss aren’t rare side effects—they’re disturbingly common among Suboxone users.
Why? Suboxone’s acidic properties and its tendency to reduce saliva production create a perfect storm for oral health issues. Saliva acts as your mouth’s natural defense system, neutralizing acids and washing away harmful bacteria. When that defense weakens, your teeth become sitting ducks for decay.
This study analyzed 21,404 individuals using sublingual buprenorphine (film strips dissolved under the tongue), 5,385 using transdermal buprenorphine, and 6,616 using oral naltrexone. The findings revealed adverse dental issues occurring at the following rates:
- 6 out of 1,000 for sublingual buprenorphine users
- 2 out of 1,000 for transdermal buprenorphine users
- 9 out of 1,000 for oral naltrexone users
Allegations Against Indivior
The lawsuits allege that Indivior knew—or should have known—about Suboxone’s dental risks. Yet, they marketed the drug aggressively while downplaying these issues.
Key accusations include:
- Failure to Warn: Patients claim the packaging and promotional materials lacked adequate warnings about the risk of dental harm. The FDA only added dental health warnings to Suboxone’s label in 2022—years after the drug hit the market.
- Negligence: Plaintiffs argue that Indivior failed to conduct thorough research into the long-term effects of Suboxone before releasing it.
- Unethical Marketing Practices: Suboxone was pushed as the superior alternative to other addiction treatments, but critics say this marketing ignored its hidden dangers.
Who Can Join the Lawsuit?
Not everyone who took Suboxone qualifies to join the lawsuit, and that’s by design. Lawsuits like this focus on real harm caused by specific actions—or inactions—of a company. To avoid wasting time and resources, you need to meet a few clear criteria before stepping into the legal arena.
Eligibility Criteria
- Suboxone Usage: You must have been prescribed Suboxone before June 2022 and used it as directed. Courts will want evidence—prescription records, pharmacy receipts, or even medical notes detailing your treatment plan.
- Dental Damage: This lawsuit is all about dental injuries, so you need proof of significant issues. Whether you’ve had teeth pulled, spent thousands on crowns, or dealt with painful infections, your dental records must back it up.
- Causation Link: It’s not enough to have bad teeth; you need to show that Suboxone contributed to your dental problems. A medical expert’s opinion connecting your injuries to Suboxone’s use can make or break your case.
Statute of Limitations
Every lawsuit has a clock, and once it runs out, your case is dead in the water. The statute of limitations—the legal deadline for filing a claim—varies by state. For example:
- In California, personal injury claims must be filed within two years under Cal. Civ. Proc. Code § 335.1.
- In New York, the window extends to three years under N.Y. C.P.L.R. § 214(5).
- Some states have exceptions, like tolling statutes, which pause the clock if you didn’t immediately discover the harm caused by Suboxone.
If you hesitate, even with a strong case, you could lose your chance to pursue legal action.
The Legal Process for Joining the Lawsuit
Step 1: Initial Evaluation
Your attorney will assess whether your case holds water.
- Your Suboxone Prescription: Provide proof that a doctor prescribed Suboxone for opioid treatment before the cut off date. Pharmacy receipts, medical records, or even photos of the prescription will all help.
- Dental Records: Bring every detail, from x-rays to invoices for crowns or root canals. Attorneys love a paper trail, and so do courts.
At this stage, you’ll also get a reality check about your case’s strength. Our experienced attorneys won’t sugarcoat the challenges ahead—nor should they.
Step 2: Evidence Collection
Evidence is the backbone of any lawsuit. Without it, you’re just telling a story. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Medical Documentation:
- Records proving you used Suboxone as directed.
- Notes from doctors or dentists diagnosing the damage and linking it to Suboxone.
- Financial Records:
- Receipts for dental bills, surgeries, or repairs.
- Proof of lost income if your dental issues caused missed work.
- Personal Testimony:
- A written statement describing your experience, the pain you endured, and the impact on your life.
Your attorney may also enlist expert witnesses—like dentists or toxicologists—to back up your claims. These experts can explain why Suboxone caused your injuries in a way that resonates with a jury.
Step 3: Filing the Claim
Once the evidence is locked and loaded, your attorney will draft the legal documents needed to file your Suboxone claim and handle the rest from here on out.
- The Complaint: This document lays out the facts of your case, your injuries, and the damages you’re seeking.
Related article: Who Can File a Suboxone Lawsuit?
Step 4: Joining the Class Action
Class actions streamline cases like yours by grouping them together. The Suboxone class-action lawsuit is already underway, and victims are able to join it any time if they qualify. If the class wins, everyone gets a share of the settlement or verdict.
What to Expect After Filing
Once your claim is filed, things shift into a lower gear. Discovery begins, where both sides exchange evidence and depose witnesses. Settlement talks may follow, but if those stall, your case could head to trial. And while trials might sound exciting, they’re long, exhausting, and unpredictable.
Challenges and Considerations
Nothing about a Suboxone lawsuit is straightforward. Cases like these face a trifecta of challenges: proving causation, countering corporate defenses, and overcoming legal hurdles.
Proving Causation
Causation is where lawsuits win or die. To succeed, you need to show that Suboxone caused your dental injuries—not bad genes, bad habits, or sheer bad luck.
- The Problem with Proving Direct Links:
- Plaintiffs must connect the dots between Suboxone’s chemical properties and their dental damage—and show why it wasn’t due to other reasons, like poor oral hygiene.
- The Role of Experts:
- Medical and dental experts become your legal allies in the fight for causation. They analyze your records, evaluate the damage, and explain how Suboxone’s side effects disrupted your oral health.
- Evidence Matters:
- Consistent dental records showing a sharp decline in oral health after starting Suboxone strengthen your case. So do notes from your dentist or medical provider linking your symptoms to the drug.
Potential Defenses by Indivior
Indivior isn’t rolling over without a fight. Big pharmaceutical companies rarely do. Expect them to throw up roadblocks, starting with these classic defenses:
- Blame the User:
- As alluded to above, Indivior might argue that your dental problems stem from neglect or pre-existing conditions, not Suboxone. Were you already prone to cavities? Did you skip brushing or flossing? The defense will dissect your habits to shift blame back onto you.
- The Benefit Argument:
- Indivior could also claim that the benefits of Suboxone outweigh its risks. They’ll point to the lives the drug has saved and argue that its contribution to combating opioid addiction justifies its side effects.
- While this argument doesn’t erase harm, it may sway a jury sympathetic to the broader addiction crisis.
What Are the Potential Outcomes of the Lawsuit?
Once the legal gears are in motion, the question hanging over every plaintiff’s head is simple: What’s the payout? The outcomes of a Suboxone lawsuit vary, but they almost always hinge on two things: the strength of the evidence and the extent of the damage. Here’s how this can play out.
Types of Compensation Available
Courts refer to compensation as “damages”, and they break it into categories:
- Medical Expenses
Your dental bills are at the front of the line. If you spent thousands fixing damaged teeth, the lawsuit seeks to reimburse you.- Fillings, crowns, root canals, extractions, implants—the costs add up fast, and most insurers won’t cover the full amount.
- Future dental care is also fair game. If ongoing issues will require more procedures, those estimated costs factor into the damages.
- Pain and Suffering
Courts recognize that money doesn’t erase physical pain or emotional distress, but it can serve as compensation for the toll these injuries take.- Plaintiffs with severe damage—think total tooth loss or chronic infections—might receive higher awards here.
- Emotional distress counts, too. Anxiety over your appearance, eating restrictions, or even the impact on relationships carries weight.
- Lost Wages
Dental problems aren’t just cosmetic—they disrupt lives. If you missed work because of appointments, recovery time, or complications, the lawsuit seeks to recover that income.- For example, a plaintiff who missed months of work due to multiple surgeries might see significant compensation in this category.
Possible Settlement Amounts
Suboxone lawsuits have yet to produce massive headline-grabbing settlements, but comparisons to other pharmaceutical cases help set expectations.
- Cases with clear causation and severe injuries typically result in higher payouts.
- Settlements in MDLs like this often involve a tiered system, where plaintiffs with the most damage receive the largest shares.
In similar cases—like the lawsuits against denture adhesive manufacturers for causing nerve damage—settlements ranged from $50,000 to over $300,000 per plaintiff, depending on the severity of the harm. While these numbers don’t guarantee outcomes in Suboxone cases, they give a ballpark idea of potential results.
Settlement vs. Trial
Most lawsuits end in settlements. Trials are risky, expensive, and unpredictable, so both sides usually prefer to negotiate.
- Settlements: They avoid the courtroom drama and let plaintiffs receive compensation sooner. But they often involve compromise—accepting less money than a trial might yield.
- Trials: These offer the chance for larger awards but carry the risk of walking away with nothing if the verdict doesn’t go your way.
Whether your case ends in a settlement or trial, the outcome depends on the evidence, the arguments presented, and sometimes a little luck. For plaintiffs, it’s a waiting game—but one that could bring meaningful relief.
Take Back Control
Suboxone promised relief, not a lifetime of dental bills and regret. If Suboxone wrecked your teeth, it’s time to demand accountability.
Call LitigationConnect, LLC at (833) 552-7274 or contact us online today. We will connect you with the legal help you need to fight for the compensation you deserve.