It takes time and everyone is different. For me, I could eat fairly normally most things after the first year. Saliva continued to slowly improve for several years. Biggest problem ongoing is food like rice getting stuck going down because of thickened mucosa. Good luck, keep fighting, and give it time! Also use a waterpic when able as the food tends to hang around in mouth due to lack of saliva….that will be life long.

After having problems with lower mandible and mitigating that fairly well for now, the next stage has begone….ear canal erosion. I have exposed bone that the ENT attributes to reduced blood flow post radiation. Doing conservative treatment, ie. keeping area dry, antibiotic drops weekly, and watching for now. My ENT was unfamiliar with Pento protocol and would not prescribe so I had Oral Surgeon prescribe it. 4 months in and so far erosion has stayed the same.

Anyone else have ear issues and will take any treatment recommendations…..

Two years in and plate is holding solid and bone graft has integrated well.