Breast cancer/Radiation/Tooth Problems

Thank you, one more visit to go and I’m not going there any longer. Your reply has me in tears. Thanks for being so kind,.

Thank you, this is good information. I did see on a site that radiation can thicken and change the texture of your saliva, which can possibly cause some dental problems. I asked this new dentist and they had no idea. Has anyone heard of this? I do know that during my
treatment I was choking on what I could only refer to as glue, not spittle.

Shantron,
How do you know that radiation to your breast wouldn't cause problems with your teeth? Radiation can cause issues with your immune system and your immune system can affect your teeth. When you say something is taxing to your body doesn't that mean that it could involve your immune system?

Do you have a scientific article that indicates that breast radiation has nothing to do with the immune system?
Just wondering. If you have any scientific articles that say there is no correlation please let me know.
Thanks

My dentist recommended a mouth guard to wear at night because he suspected that I unknowingly grind my teeth during sleep thus leading to cracked teeth. I’m thinking it could be stress related.

All these comments are reassuring. I had what my long-term and wonderful dentist called "great teeth and mouth" at 71. Then BC and radiation. Next visit was to a new Dentist at 72 because my other one retired. Suddenly I had two fillings to replace and two cracked teeth needing crowns. My "new" dentist was young and practicing in a gorgeous new office building and I thought he might be just milking me. But reading your stories helps me decide to see him again for my cleaning and talk to him about my "story."
Thanks for sharing.

I’m a Radiation Therapist and so have had extensive education about how radiation works in the body as well as working with patients every day. It only affects your immune system in the same way that anything that is taxing on your system does. It takes a lot of energy for your body to heal.

During chemo, my tongue swelled so much I have a full mouth teeth imprint on my tongue. It moved my bottom from teeth around. Is this common?

Cancer Treatments and Their Impact on Your Immune System

Getting breast cancer doesn’t mean that your immune system is weak. However, certain breast cancer treatments can weaken your immune system, leaving you more vulnerable to infection.

Chemotherapy has the greatest impact on immunity, but surgery and some forms of radiation therapy can affect your immune system, too. You should be aware of the possible signs of infection and report them to your doctor immediately, especially if you’ve recently had surgery or are in the middle of treatment. These include:

redness, swelling, warmth, or pus at the site of injury, surgical wound, or injection

cough or shortness of breath

mucus or pus in the saliva

nasal drainage

fever of 100.5 degrees F or higher

sore throat

burning sensation while urinating

chills or shakes

ear pain

stiff or sore neck

sores or white coating in your mouth or on your tongue

bloody or cloudy urine

Infections can worsen quickly when your immune system is weak, so call your doctor if any of these symptoms occur.

This information is provided by Breastcancer.org.

Katrinal123, could you tell us more about what radiation can do, all of a sudden I have to
have a tooth pulled, my back started hurting, I have had radiation 2 times, once 10 years
ago and now I just finished in Jan. No one told me about any side effects, I think all of us
would like to no.
Thank you,
marcia115

Yes, this is what is meant by how something that is taxing on your system can make you more vulnerable to infections, etc. Just like you are more vulnerable to colds and flu when you don’t get enough sleep or are fighting something else in your body. Your immune system becomes compromised by the taxing nature of the treatments that are being administered to try to save your life. Your doctors should be fully disclosing the side effects of whatever treatments they are prescribing. They are weighing the possible physical cost of the side effects with the benefit of getting rid of residual cancer cells.