Hi Susan,

I'm sorry to hear of your dental issues and need for an invasive surgery. In regards to hbot, I saw the term, "For Life" being used on some osteoradionecrosis conference slides when looking into it. The only thing related to this, and hbot, I could find was, "A study showed that the angiogenesis reaches a plateau at 80 to 85% of non irradated tissue vascularity by 20 sessions; trancutenous oxygen measures remain at that level for several years." This study was done by Dr. Marx, but the full PDF I couldn't obtain, but have other excepts that explains it.

I'm not sure "For Life" term I saw on conference is referring to radiation damage, and risk for osteoradionecrosis or HBOT, but I also saw the term mentioned on other not so trusty blogs. I would go with what Christine said, who btw has more hbot experience than all of us combined. Before I went through my last hbot in 2014, my oral surgeon asked when my last hbot treatment was (2010), so time may be a factor, and I did the 20/10 Marx Protocol. I failed that, and when asking about additional HBOT I was told that it already failed twice, and needed bone debridment with vascular closure (Sequestromy), which failed too.

As you had hbot twice, and if that helped prevent osteoradionecrosis and or improved wound healing, I can't see it not being offered again, unless your surgery is like mine, mandibularectomy with a free flap, where some, including my doctors, say hbot is not really needed being it's new vascularized bone and tissue.

I hope your surgery goes well, Susan, and I hope to ask about this with my HBOT center doctor next time I see him.