Concerning Dental Issues. Considering Sublocade

Hello!

I’ve been on subutex, 4-6mg/day, once per day for about 1.5 years and it really helped me get out of a relapse cycle I was in, but it’s been on my mind to get off for the past 6+ months. I’ve been putting off a taper thinking “now is not a good time, I’ll wait”.

I’ve been concerned about the possible dental damage caused by bupe since starting and have brushed/flossed regularly since starting. My last dental visit was 1 year ago and I expressed my concern, but the dentist said everything looked “great”, although this was only 6 months after starting.

Yesterday I was flossing and noticed a rather large brown area across the side of my rear left molar and I’m pretty munched freaked out lol. I’ve just had this feeling subs are slowly eroding my teeth and this is concerning to me since I’ve had 0 cavities in my life and take pretty good care of my teeth+no soda/very little sugar.

I guess I’ve got two questions:

1. Has anyone who’s switched to Sublocade felt their teeth were better off than traditional oral medication? I know it still causes dry mouth, etc. but I don’t even get dry mouth with subs.

2. The starting dose always confuses me. If I’m currently taking 4mg/day what are my options? Do I need to go up in dose to match the lowest Sublocade dose? I think I’ve read the shot is only offered in 100&300mg formulations.

I’m ready to try my best to just get off subs. It’s been helpful, but also a crutch. My energy and motivation are definitely blunted and with the fear about my teeth, I’m ready to do something different.

Any input is appreciated!