Three months post treatment with Ongoing Mouth Pain

So as for me I continued with my pain management regimen for a few months post treatments and weened myself off from them before my oncologist wanted me to.
So with that said I never experienced the mouth “pain” but I couldn’t eat for a long time!
I continued with the tube feeding until I was able to eat oatmeal and then that was my three meals per day for a long time and then I asked for my tube and port to be removed. I knew if I didn’t have the tube I would have no choice but to start eating solid food. This was a very slow process with many close calls of chocking!

As for taste; I couldn’t taste anything for about a year. Nearly 9 years later I still can’t taste chocolate as I remember it tasting but everything else has returned.

As for toothpaste; I brushed and continue to brush several times per day.
I use a Waterpik first followed by floss if needed, followed by a whitening paste. Rinse and apply a mixture of Sensodyne and a prescription fluoride paste(purchased from dentist for $20.00), I brush and spit but not rinse and allow it to set.
Be sure to stay current with your 6 month dental visits and have them fluoride your teeth. My insurance covers one fluoride treatment per year and the second one cost me $40.00.

Maybe you could get a prescription for a liquid pain medication that you could swish before you swallow!

Hang in there as it will get better!
Jody

Hi @megatera Slow healing? Not slow by any standards when it comes to radiation treatments. This is similar to an internal burn. And as we know, burns take forever to heal. A year from now most of your issues should be fading away but as for this year, this summer especially, this all seems normal compared to most of us.
I had mouth sores, red spots, gum bleeds, tongue sores, all the fun stuff for more than a year. Measured over months rather than days however, I could see improvement month to month.
Try warm salt-water rinses. It might sting a little but they seemed to help me a great deal. It certainly lowered the sensitivity and pain levels within a few days. This simple solution is both doctor and mentor recommended.

Hi Megatera. It's been 19 years, but I still recall how uncomfortable it was post-treatment. I couldn't taste sugar, so anything requiring sweetening didn't taste very good, especially chocolate. Biotene was my savior when it came to a soar mouth. Then they changed their formula unbeknownst to me, and within a weak my mouth was raw. They brought back their original formula as a gentle alternative, but I see they have now discontinued that. Fortunately for me, I can use their regular toothpaste these days. You will find the next year frustrating due to how little you know about what is coming. From this forum, it is clear things are better now than when I went through it. Good luck to you.

Use three times a day rinses and gargles x 4 with warm salt water & baking soda ( to acidify) and this helps immensely.

Hi! I'm four months post treatment and still experience some pain and burning. Not to the point of needing pain meds, but it weirdly comes and goes. I can go for a week with no "toothpaste pain" - then bam! I'll go to brush with mint-flavored toothpaste and I'm in tears for the first 30 seconds. I'm relieved to see the many responses that reassure me (and you) that it's just part of the healing process. I hope it gets better, soon.

Before I was to undergo radiation treatment, the nurse for the radiation oncologist recommended a product called Blis Probiotics Throat Health K12. The instruction was to start using 2 days prior to starting radiation. Take 3 lozenges per day every day (even the days when no radiation was given). Continue to take 1 week after radiation.

I ordered the amount I needed for this time period from Amazon. Luckily I did not have any issues with mouth sores or mouth pain. I would definitely recommend this product!

I just thought of something else - I've always been prone to getting canker sores throughout my life. Some years back I found out an ingredient in most toothpastes that aggravates these sores is sodium laurel sulfate. Sodium laurel sulfate causes the foaming action in toothpastes. I found a toothpaste called "Verve" that does not have this ingredient in it. I've been using this for years and continued to use when I was going through radiation and after earlier this year. This toothpaste does have fluoride in it. I know there are other toothpastes out there that does not contain SLS. Just a thought that maybe changing toothpastes may help. Best wishes for your recovery.