If possible it's best to see a dentist that is very familiar with oral cancer issues. If he's being treated at a CCC they will have such a dentist on staff. If this is not possible do explain in detail his Tx to the dentist.

Radiation can damage the blood supply to our teeth and gums and over time this can lead to infection, etc so it common with the old rad method, RT, they would likely recommend pulling all the teeth in harms way. It was also more common to see poor dental hygiene in OC patients. Now with more refined rad methods, IMRT and Tomo, the damage can be greatly lessened and with the advent of HPV+ SCC less patients present themselves with poor dental hygiene so we now see the recommendation to just pull the teeth that will need it anyway, fill cavities, switch out metal fillings, do a thorough cleaning and add daily fluoride treatments.


David

Age 58 at Dx, HPV16+ SCC, Stage IV BOT+2 nodes, non smoker, casual drinker, exercise nut, Cisplatin x 3 & concurrent IMRT x 35,(70 Gy), no surgery, no Peg, Tx at Moffitt over Aug 06. Jun 07, back to riding my bike 100 miles a wk. Now doing 12 Spin classes and 60 outdoor miles per wk. Nov 13 completed Hilly Century ride for Cancer, 104 miles, 1st Place in my age group. Apr 2014 & 15, Spun for 9 straight hrs to raise $$ for YMCA's Livestrong Program. Certified Spin Instructor Jun 2014.