After oral cancer on my lower jaw and its replacement with a bone from my leg, I have no lower teeth. My oncologist says I'm not a candidate for a couple of implants to hold on lower dentures. The special dentist says it can be done with an oxygen treatment. Anyone had any experience with this issue. Please let me hear pro or con.

Hello Hacklene,
I had the same surgery you had two years ago. I was told by my doctors that THE reason they replaced my jaw with bone from my leg was so that I COULD have implants. I am in the process of getting all that set up now, taking longer then expected as it's tough to schedule so much "down time" with my family and very busy life. I did 30 dives of Hyperbaric Oxygen to prepare for the tooth extraction (I still have teeth on my lower right side, which is still my original jaw). So, get a second opinion as it IS possible to have the implants.
Tell me more about your surgery, etc. I like hearing from others that had the same surgery as myself.
Minnie

The reason that dental implants fail in oral cancer patients that have been radiated is that the microvascularization in the radiated bone is killed off during treatment. That makes osteointegration of the implants difficult, with about 30% failure rate in radiated bone. The bone transplanted from your leg or the iliac crest of your hip was never radiated, and after a period of healing, say about 18-24 months, it likely has a good blood supply. The combination of that and a few dives in an O2 chamber make implants a viable choice. You need to be talking to an oral surgeon.

A suggestion that we use a term different than "dives" when we discuss hyperbaric oxygen treatments. Since there is no water involved in such treatments it is confusing (and potentially frightening) to readers and newcomers here whom aren't "buzzword" knowledgeable and don't swim. I suggest Hyperbaric Oxygen TREATMENTS would be better.

For those readers that would like to know: Hyperbaric Oxygen treatments are provided by placing the patient into a container that can be pressurized slowly with air and higher concentrations of pure oxygen. The container you are placed in range in size from small enough for only one person, to large enough for several people. They are very similar to recompression chambers used for treating underwater divers whom have decompression sickness. The amount of pressurization is usually 2 atmospheres which is the same as the pressure of about 33 feet under water. That is why a single treatment is sometimes called a "dive". Once again HBO treatments do NOT involve getting wet.

I apologize for using the terminology used during my treatment that might not be familiar to new posters. I suspect that anyone asking about it because of a doctors suggestion knows it's not an underwater treatment but Mark makes a valid point. I did communicate with Hacklene at length concerning the treatments and other issues via personal email.
These treatments are time consuming but not painful. I went 30 times for treatments that lasted approx. 90 minutes. I watched television or they would put my requested movie in the VCR. Sound is piped in to the chamber. You cannot take any reading materials into the chamber, no jewelry, nothing. The first time "going down" takes some effort on the patients part to clear their ears but I didn't consider it painful. The only side effect I had concerned my eyesight. I wear glasses but could go without them about after a few weeks of treatment. It's not permanent but sure was neat! Eyesight goes back to "normal" in a few weeks.
Minnie

I'm confused about something here. If one has the mandible radiated and then non-radiated bone from the leg transplanted, doesn't it make it harder for the transplant to be successful since the vascularity of the already radiated area where the new bone is going has been compromised?

Or, is the new bone transplanted and then the area radiated? That would seem to create a similar situation in which blood flow to the tranpslanted bone and surrounded tissue is reduced? Sorry to be so obtuse. - Sheldon

Sheldon, Thanks for your question. I have the same concern. I had radiation after my surgery, which my jaw bone was replaced by a piece of bone from my leg. If I received raditation after the surgery then wouldn't the replaced bone have been radiated? Hacklene

You are both right if the bone was radiated it is not a good match (or at least a 30% failure risk) for implants. But not everyone has the sequence that you are referring to. Some have a resection that removes the section of mandible, have it replaced with new bone, and the resection cuts all the way to an area that is cancer free (hence no need for radiation). Radiation is used for surrounding area, neck etc, and the graft is out of the field.

Hi Sheldon,
I had radiation after my surgery, so the bone from the leg that replaced my jaw is now radiated bone. That is the reason for the Hyperbaric Oxygen treatment. It is used to help prepare this bone for an implant. It also makes it safer to have a tooth extracted. My dentist and doctors also said that if the bone is to thin, it can be built up with some bone from the hip.
Minnie

And the purpose of HBO is that it causes revascularization of the radiated bone, thus allowing trauma such as extraction or implant placement to heal. Had someone not had this great idea, I would be gumming all my food. Also, you may take it from me that there is absolutely no truth to the rumor that HBO dives restore youth and beauty...darn it all.