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How do you care for teeth and dental health after H&N cancer?

Head & Neck Cancer | Last Active: Sep 24 12:02pm | Replies (23)
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@mojo244

Prior to radiation and chemo my oncologist insisted that my lower molars and wisdom teeth be extracted because he said we don’t want failure in a few years.
My dentist prescribed me a fluoride toothpaste which I use multiple times per day.
I also get fluoride treatments every 6 months during regular dental visits.
I’m closing on 7 years and so far so good!

MOJO

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Replies to "Prior to radiation and chemo my oncologist insisted that my lower molars and wisdom teeth be..."
William Olsen, Volunteer Mentor | @hrhwilliam | Jul 12, 2023

So you are saying you did not have your teeth removed, used fluoride and so far so good?
Usually only bad teeth are removed prior to radiotherapy.
Occasionally the bone where the teeth are seated will die, particularly the lower jaw or mandible. This is known as osteoradionecrosis. Then teeth issues begin and eventually have to be addressed because the roots of the teeth are sitting in dead bone and the tooth no longer can survive. This is not common but can happen and is repairable with some difficult surgery. On the bright side the recovery is much quicker than that of the actual cancer treatment previous.
Someday (soon) I may post a discussion about my mandible resection.

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