All through diagnosis and treatment I felt like my doctors were right about everything and on top of everything. Since I ended treatment and begun recovery, I feel lost at sea. The docs just say, time, it takes time, but they don't really tell me what to do. I hope I am doing the right things. I take my six cans and 2 liters of water. I rest a lot. I also do things like walk, go to the library, I drove the car on an errand once, and best of all, I am talking again. I also started working with a physical therapist on swallowing and drinking and eating. My question is my oral care. I clean my mouth (rinse and brush) about six/seven times a day. I rinse with salt/baking soda mix, then brush with Biotene toothpaste, then rinse with Biotene mouthwash. Once a day I use the Waterpik water flosser to try to get these sticky secretions out of my mouth. (They come right back.) Am I cleaning my mouth too much? My mouth is still secreting. It slowed down for a week or two, but in the mouth of recovery it has mostly been secreting gunk. Why? Some people here said a couple of weeks and it will stop, but it keeps going? I wonder if I am cleaning my mouth too much. I feel like I have made a lot of progress except for my mouth because of these secretions. Any thoughts? -Michelle

Michelle, you are doing everything perfectly!!! Great work on the nutrition and hydration. That plays a huge part in how well you will feel.

Are you using flouride trays? Or are you the person who doesnt need to use them? Sorry there are so many people here that I cant remember exactly which person didnt need them.

You have just finished treatments. It does take time, be patient and you will see improvements. Your secretions will one day just go away and be replaced by dry mouth.

Full recovery takes months. Its one month of recovery for every week of rad. For some, it can take up to 2 years. It seems like every time you think you are all better you will notice another improvement.

Best wishes with your continued recovery.

Dental Oral care is essential.
I am just over 1 1/2 years out and have had numerous issues with the teeth.
Just after treatment I was told to do the fluoride trays but even with that I was having my teeth decay at alarming rates. I saw a doctor of oral medicine and he is having me use a few other things to try and keep the decay from coming so quickly.
Saliva keeps and helps decay from taking place so when the saliva is eliminated decay comes quick.
I was told to brush my teeth immediately after every meal
Use a prescription fluoride toothpaste
use a bacterial rinse, I use a prescription called peridex
use a calcium paste which helps your teeth maintain the calcium levels
use fluoride trays nightly
Dental Issues are something that seems to be an ongoing issue and I guess will always be but extra care is needed to maintain teeth.
Good luck and keep up the good work

Thanks for all that info. How soon after treatment did you see a dentist. My doctor has told me to wait until my mouth has healed. At this rate I don't think it will ever heal. The secretions that are occurring now don't seem to be from a salivary gland but from some patch on the roof of my mouth - an ulcer? Do mouth ulcers leak/secrete? -Michelle

Thanks for the vote of confidence. The new secretions don't seem to be coming from a salivary gland but from a patch on the roof of my mouth. Could it be an ulcer? Do they secrete? -Michelle

I get alot of secretions from the back of my throat, near my palate, it's within the area that's being radiated, yoru mouth is naturally a moist place, as is your nasal area - it isn't alway a salivary gland spitting out fluids - though Brian maybe can tell you a little better, but you know whe you have to clear your throat and spit - it probably comes from the same place. I think its pretty normal.

Good luck - you will heal, you body just has it's own time table that's all.

I did not know that. Thank you. It sure was nice when the secretions stopped. But you're right: my body has its own time table. I just have to follow its cues. -Michelle

Hi Michelle,

I will relate my oral treatment.

Prior to treatment I saw a dentist who had a number of oral cancer patients. He performed my pre-radiation-treatment exam, and started me immediately on my twice daily flouride treatment using trays and 1.1% flouride gel.

He monitored my oral health throughout treatment.

He advised several times the importance of continuing the flouride treatment for life, regardless of the amount of saliva I would end up producing. According to him, radiation treatment damages the saliva glands such that the chemistry of the saliva changes. These changes result the saliva losing its tooth protecting function.

I also use toothpicks (along my gums and to compress my gums), a little bottle brush looking cleaner (by Dentek and others), floss, and clean my teeth all day long.

So here I am 4-1/2 years post treatment. I still use the trays twice a day. I have yet to have a cavity (knock on wood).

As an aside, I have had a couple of different regular dentists since I ended treatment, and I don't think they knew much about the effects of radiation treatments (one suggested I should stop using the flouride).

Anyway, that's my experience.

Best wishes,

Chris

Thank you. I used my flouride tray during treatment until my mouth got too sore. That was about when I stopped eating by mouth. I haven't started eating by mouth yet my mouth is really sore so I haven't started using the tray yet. I probably should but I am afraid the flouride will burn my sores. -Michelle

Hi,
Sounds like your dental care is basically fine.

Michelle, I do know that you need to be careful with the amount of fluoride you put in the trays. You don't want it to spill over into your mouth. The extra stuff can irritate your mouth, and you could swallow it, and it would then upset your stomach. At first, in my zeal to do it just right, I put too much fluoride on the trays. I used to gag after I put the trays in my mouth, but now seem to have gotten over that!

I sure wouldn't omit the fluoride treatments if you can possibly help it. Keep on keeping on, and all of it will get better (I'm telling myself the same thing as I am 2 months out of treatment and have my own issues and bad days)
Anne