I am looking for a website that provides comprehensive information on what kind of long-term dental care and hygiene is needed for someone that has undergone chemoradiation.

Can someone point me into the right direction?

Norma,
Its actually pretty straightforward.

1. Get your teeth cleaned at least 3-4 times a year. Get a high strength flouride treatment each time as well - bring your own dental trays for a much more pleasant experience.

2. Let your dentist know that you have had radiation and small repairs and fillings should be done sooner rather than later. Root canals shouldn't br a problem either.

3. Make sure that the hygenist cleans below the gumline.

4. Do at home flouride treatmnents weekly with your own dental trays. I was using Butler but had switched to Oral B, both pH nuetral flouride 0.9 strength foam. A prescription is reqired for these foams, they are not over the counter.

5. Floss before bed. Use a Water Pik and an electric toothbrush. I prefer the woven floss - it is much easier on the gums.

The risk of ORN, although small, is a lifetime risk so diligent dental care is a must.

If you need extractions, particularly if they were in the irradiation field or lower mandible, you will need to take extra precautions such as a course of Hyperbaric Oxygen (HBO) therapy first.

The major CCC's usually have dental oncologists as well.

If I missed anything Jerry (our dentist board member) will fill in the blanks.

Norma,

I just want to add a couple of recommendations for your husband -- in addition to Gary's very thorough list.

Brushing his teeth after every meal (if he's not already doing that), will help. Also, if he's dealing with lingering dry mouth problems, he should try to combat them with regular drinks of water, as well as using products like Biotene (and maybe Salagen or Evoxac) that help to remoisturize the mouth. Dry mouth can contribute greatly to future dental problems, so it should be fought vigorously.

Some time ago my oral surgeon strongly recommended that two of my four annual cleanings be done in a periodontist's office, so that I get a regular checkup by a specialist in gum disease -- I've been doing that for a couple of years now.

At this stage -- 17 years after my treatment -- I still have all my original teeth. I occasionally have to have filling work done, and once in awhile I've had a gum graft, but otherwise the checkups so far have been pretty routine (thankfully).

Cathy

And you thought you needed to be referred to another site....

It's all about hygiene, and keeping the tissues moist for comfort. Saliva has natural protective enzymes in it that help prevent perio disease and tooth decay. Without it meticulous cleaning every day, are a must, and the use of products that can help replace the enzyme balance like those from Biotene are what it takes to keep your teeth and mouth healthy.

Since he is so recently out of treatment, keep good habits of inspecting the interior of the mouth on a regular basis, this will catch opportunistic fungal infections like Candida early, and of course we are all carefully looking for any tissue changes that might need to be brought to the attention of our oncology team... early detection saves lives.

Post my radiation treatment i'm finding i have full salivary functionality. does that mean i won't ave the typical dental problems or is there more to it than lack of saliva