I've been using the floride gel my dentist gave me when he did the trays but I see that Oral B make a foam that sound like it might be better.

Which is better -- gel or foam?

I asked my dentist and he said the gel is standard but it seems to me the foam might provide better coverage of the teeth.

David,

I started using the gel in my teeth molds 1 month prior to chemorad and I still use it 9 1/2 months post Tx because my dentist has never said quit. I put the gel in my molds each am when I wake up after brushing and just keep them in for 30 mins. I have never had any problems and it's really a non issue if he tells me to use them for the rest of my life.

The only problem I have is that after I clean them I let them air dry on my bath sink and sometimes I forget to put them away before I leave for work. When I come home I usually have only one left on the sink as my cat(s) have taken off with the other. Being clear they are REALLY hard to see on any floor surface especially if it's hidden or under a bed. Gotta love em!

I actually just placed a call to my dentist to see if its time to change flouride yet.

She told me to use the stannous flouride while I was going through radiation and then we would change to something different after that. I am 2 weeks out from treatments and am almost out of the stannous flouride. It is pretty expensive so I hope its time to use something that may be a little cheaper.

I used stannis gel for about 6 months post treatment. The entire time I used it, I had sensitive gums. My oral surgeon (also my cousin) started doing some implant work for me early this year, and he was quite concerned about the length of time I needed to leave the stannis flouride in each day, and that I was using it daily.

He felt strongly that the ongoing irritation caused by both the flouride and the trays was not doing me any favors. He said that many centers use the gel because it is very good bang for the buck. It's cheap to produce, it's been around a long time, and for casual use works well.

For folks like us using it daily it can be too harsh. He put me on Oral B one minute foam in January and I am REALLY glad he did.

My compliance is better because I need to keep the foam in my mouth for a minute instead of 10.

I can use trays, and do, however it is just as effective to shoot a "blob" of it into my mouth, move it over and around my teeth with my tongue, and spit it out. The foam is flavored, so it doesn't even taste bad.

I had my last round of implant surgery on June 1 ( YAHOO!!! I HAVE TEETH) and he says everything is looking perfect. That was also the conclusion of the dentist at the cancer center. The foam is more expensive, but it lasts a LONG time. I still have a little bit in the first can I got back in the end of January.

Maybe Jerry (WickedDDS) can chime in here too. I know I will not ever go back to the gel
Wayne

Thanks, everyone, for all the feedback.

My dentist said to leave this gel for only 2 or 3 minutes, not the 20-30 that some folks talk about. This is a 1.1% solution, so perhaps it's different than the longer-acting types.

My dentist also said flouride toothpaste is very good and maybe that would work better than gel for post-treatment care.