What about a bridge? I'm not sure if that is an option for you since you only have 6 teeth. I lost my 4 lower front teeth because of the side effects of radiation. I looked into a number of options and ended up with a 10-tooth bridge to replace the missing 4 teeth. The downside is that they had to destroy the 3 teeth on each side of the missing teeth in order to have enough support for the bridge. By destroy I mean they had to grind down and cap my otherwise healthy teeth in order to create the bridge,

I've heard of a few people who had implants post-RT, but in my case it was not recommended. From my understanding implants need healthy bone with good blood flow in order to be successful and radiated bone is already compromised.

Are you familiar with hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT)? HBOT is recommended post RT for any invasive dental work such as extractions. I don't know if this would help in your situation, but if you find a doctor to do implants my guess is that HBOT would be part of the process.

Wishing you the best!


Susan

SCC R-Lateral tongue, T1N0M0
Age 47 at Dx, non-smoker, casual drinker, HPV-
Surgery: June 2005
RT: Feb-Apr 2006
HBOT: 45 in 2008; 30 in 2013; 30 in 2022 -> Total 105!
Recurrence/Surgeries: Jan & Apr 2010
Biopsy 2/2011: Moderate dysplasia
Surgery 4/2011: Mild dysplasia
Dental issues: 2013-2025 (ORN of lower jaw)