Hi all,

Just before Xmas I had root canal therapy on one of my lower front teeth. I have a temporary cap on it and cannot see my dentist until next week for hopefully the final treatment (here in OZ everyone is on summer holidays). It is killing me, even when using my fluoride trays, also with my calcium mousse...I'm back on the Panadeine Forte

Has any one else experienced such grief with a root therapy? Shall I lose that tooth perhaps? I spoke to the Dental surgeon at the hospital before this treatment commenced and he said my own dentist would be OK (he knows him).

Cheers!

Tizz (who hates going to the dentist, as she inherited %#@* teeth from her father)

If I were you I would seek medical attention (not dental) ASAP. Radiated bone is chemically different from normal bone and remains so throughout your life.
You know the drill. You may need oxygen saturation therapy to prevent mandibular necrosis.
Darrell

Tizz,

I have to have some dental work done in the future. I met with my ENT yesterday and discussed several subjects. Hyperbaric Oxygen was one of them. It may also help with healing a fistula that I had develope after my radiation. It has been slow to heal.

My second option is to opt for corrective surgery. If my insurance company approves the treatments, I may go the oxygen treatment route first. Maybe I'll be lucky and surgery will not be required.

I agree with Darrell......see a medical professional soon.

Good luck to you,

John

Hey,

Just got word from my ENT. I've been approved for Hyperbaric Oxygen treatments. I'll go to Pittsburgh next week for an evaluation. I'm looking forward to the treatments to see if it helps this pesky fistula that I have. Should alleviate some of my fears over the dental surgery that I have to have in the future as well. I'm thankful that I have an ENT that goes out of his way to see that I get the best care from all doctors involved. He really keeps on top of things with me. I trust his judgement. If I didn't understand something that another doctor told me, I'd ask him and he would explain it to me.

I'll keep you guys updated on my adventure.

John

Hi guys,

Yep, I know the drill, but there is apparently only one HBO place in Sydney! And it's very difficult to get approval The Radio Onc I saw last November said that part of my jaw wasn't in the field of radiation, so root canal should be OK...

John, where is your fistula? Good luck!

I'll let you know as things progress.

Cheers!

Tizz

Tizz,

I had a fistula develope on my chin. It's on the side where my surgery, and radiation was focused. I never had the darn thing until after radiation. It's been a nuisance ever since. I'm really hoping that the oxygen treatment does the trick. I'll have the surgery if necessary, but I'll gladly avoid it if I can.

Good luck with your root canal problem.

John

I still nightmares of a root canal I had many, many years ago. I think the nazis's thought that one up as the ultimate form of torture. The front teeth are the most sensitive of all. The same tooth cracked eventually and developed a fistula which went away once the oral surgeon removed the tooth and hence the infectuion (this was just before my cancer adventure).

Hi Gary,

I just luuurrv root canal therapy One I had a few years back was for the lower rear molar. It was discovered that I had a "C" root (yep, looks like the letter!), more common in Asians (I'm not). The dentist had to find extra tools to get right down in there, and of course delighted in showing his assistants my unusual root! Five or six treatments later, lots of dollars, I lived to tell the tale.

Now I'm on display again, with the radiated mouth...maybe I should counter-charge for viewing rights?

Cheers!

Tizz

Tizz,

I'm with you on charging for viewing rights. Being in the Boston area, I tend to have some of my regular head and neck followup visits at a couple of the local Harvard teaching hospitals, and on more than one occasion some ENT has looked at my lopsided tongue and neck scar and called in some residents with a "Hey, come take a look at this!" I guess now that it's been so many years since treatment, I find it kind of amusing.

Cathy

Hi Tizz,
I'm curious as to how your root canal problems are going?

My dentist wants to cap my four center lower teeth and he says the two center ones need a root canal before he drills. There is nothing wrong with the roots, but he is afraid he will expose a nerve while drilling. I am dead against this, but need to have the teeth capped before they decay anymore. He is telling me I will NOT need HBO treatments for root canal even though these teeth were in the field of radiation. Anyone know if that is true? I'd have a heart attack before they every got me in a HBO chamber and my insurance won't cover.

Thanks,
Eileen

An endodonic treatment wil not need O2 before or after it is done. From a strictly dental perspective, this is usually only a concern when an extraction is being considred, or implant placement is on the plan.

Hi Eileen,

Was back at the dentist the other day, thinking this might be the final treatment, but alas no. I was redrilled and another temporary put in place. The problem seems to be that he can't drill as deep as he'd like to, as the bottom is calcified, and he thinks the root end might be going to the side. There might be some infection down there (well, it feels like it to me!), but he found no pus. See him again in a month.

Cheers!

Tizz

Hi,
I have a question about periodontal work on gums after radiation. My husband had radiation, I believe XRT on both sides for base of tongune cancer. He was checked out by the Dentist associated with the ENT Team before treatment (this was October of 2004). Everything looked good and nothing needed to be done before treatment. We went to a new dentist (he does regular dentistry but his speciality is prosthodonists (sp). One of my husband's caps was loose this past week and when he went in for his cleaning today the dentist flipped the cap off with his finger. Under the cap was a little decay, which the dentist took care of, but the dentist showed both of us that the tooth had very little tooth left and should not have had a cap put on without other work to the tooth. He has had the cap for at least prior to 03. The dentist said that the gum was high around the tooth and the best way to have the cap hold is to have a periodonist trim some of the gum tissue around the tooth. The other alternative would be to have pins put in the tooth to try and hold the cap on. The tooth did not have a root canal performed. I told him that I wasn't sure if he could have surgery on his gums because of the radiation. He said to ask his radiologist and chemotheraphy doctors. He cleaned the cap and cemented it on for now but doesn't think the cap will hold. I asked how much gum would have to be cut and I think he said a couple of mm.

My husband doesn't go to see the ENT, radiation and chemo doctors until March 6th.

Has anyone had periodontial surgery on their gums after radiation?

Thanks
Teresa

Teresa, you have the option of calling your husband's RO now. No need to wait until the March appointment. A couple of times post rad I had questions. I am pretty sure from the reception I received, they expect us to call them.