I'm sorry for your troubles Mike, and hope to answer some of your questions.

1. Dry mouth may improve over time when the salivary glands recover and or others compensate for its loss, but it can take two years to partially recover. As for myself, I'm almost 7 years from my first chemo treatment, which caused just as bad, if not more acute dry mouth, than radiation did, but the radiation I had, 5x, caused more long term dry mouth, which is a normal process with our type cancer in the oropharynx, including oral cancer, and others, due to the major and minor salivary glands being compromised. Toxicities are also based on the locations where radiated, the dosage, frequency, duration, radiated one or both sides, lymph levels spared, with or without chemo, etc, so it can vary with each patient, cancer type. There are prescription medications, OTC products, and others like humidifier, snoring strap to reduce moisture loss, acupuncture, to help with dry mouth, which can be discussed further or by checking the OCF treatment pages which is very comprehensive.

2. Everyone, at they least should, have dental clearance before starting treatment, and any teeth that can't be repaired are usually removed to help prevent problems during and after treatment (infection, ORN) including dental guards, prescription fluoride, instruction for impeccable oral care. Even with that dental problems can sill occur due to the effects of radiation to the salivary glands, and gums, teeth. I had two cavities filled, one root canal and one tooth extraction before starting radiation in 2011. In less than a year there was rampant caries due to teeth demineralization, and somewhat blame certain medications, vomiting, GERD, restrictive diet, including time to swallow, in the destruction of my 29 remaining teeth needing to be extracted. The extraction, an injury, resulted in ORN, need for HBOT, and further surgery, which can be worse than the initial cancer treatment, so this is one area you want to try to take care of.

3. Fungal infections, thrush, occur due to the dry mouth and compromised immune system that can't control the mouth flora, basically an out of control yeast infection. Sounds like you may have been prescribed nystatin rinse for localized treatment. Sometimes systemic treatment is needed with diflucan, clotrimazole oral pills, impeccable oral care, rinsing, which is easily treatable, if not, it can go systemic through the blood system through an ulcer, gums, which happened to me, and is difficult to treat, and worse. Magic mouthwash is usually for mucocitis or thrush pain. There are so many different combinations with 4-5 ingredients that some may have nystatin included, but not all. Magic mouthwash is usually for pain to help eat, although instructions may say not to a least 20-30 minutes, and enable to brush my teeth. Antifungal, antibiotics or antiviral medications are used appropriately to treat each different type of infection.

Have they tested for HPV, which effects about 70%, if not more in certain counties, of oropharynx cancers, mainly the tonsil and base of tongue.